Artist: Alaa AlJapari

Yesterday, I was young,
my little sister, also young. 
Yesterday, there was something shining in the sky.
It was the sun reflecting on our faces,
and on the waves of the sea
that once was for us,
and still is.
Yesterday the trees had a place to live
under a blue sky.
Yesterday was before the war.
All our young days were before the war, 
but we still search for the light,
the sun, the sky we once knew.
We still search for ourselves
and for our city that once was a city.

*

No longer young,
my little sister and I have the dream to see old Gaza,
our warm place before the war.
That dream promises a miracle,
but we’re getting older.

How can I tell you that I’m still in Gaza
walking between its streets?
How can I tell you I’m still breathing its air
but everything has vanished?