Brother, Gaza knows no dawn.
The sunrise brings no change.
Darkness rips us apart even when the sky is bright.
Hunger is our shadow.
And the cold is yet another killer.
How long must this last?
Brother, medicine is missing.
Electricity is missing.
Hope is missing.
Everything is missing.
How can words explain it to you?
Brother, I am surrounded by ruins.
The house once I lived in
is ashes, nothing remains.
Everything is absent, even you.
Brother, beyond another border, where are you?
This land once overflowed with life.
I know you are far away.
I know you move with difficulty.
But we remain trapped.
Brother, can you see what I see?
Wherever I look, I see
hungry mouths,
pale faces,
children devouring animal fodder.
Brother, can you sense the cold in our words?
Do you feel the darkness in our message?
Is anything reaching you?
Brother, how can I tell you?
Brother, this world is merciless.
Death is closing in.
DONYA ABU SITTA
“I write for the same reason I breathe, because if I didn’t, I would die.” —Isaac Asimov
Donya Abu Sitta is a content writer and translator, studying the English language at Al-Aqsa University. During her academic life, she has volunteered as a translator and writer for the Hult Prize, Youth Innovation Hub, Science Tone, Eat Sulas, and Electronic Intifada.
She is interested in culture, art, and stories.“For me, writing is freedom, and my dreams are limitless,” Donya says. “I believe in the power of words. I create my chances to pass my ideas to the world by writing and photography.”
“When I Let My Pen Embody The Genocide Through Symbols.” Artwork by Donya Abu Sitta