Her heart was shaking
When we were playing in a circle
Her wide–brown eyes
Opened like an owl under a blue moon to scan for danger
She crossed her arms around herself
To embrace her fears
She almost forgot that boy who was killed by a fragment in his chest.
To be left and to rot, until a starved dog could carry out his mission.
What remained is a half-body
With no dreams or grave
An active memory to wake her
Whenever she wants to fall asleep
Or to “escape”
Her life becomes meaningless
But who cares
the sun rose today.
Tala Albanna
Tala Albanna at sunrise in Gaza City
Photo by Tala Albanna
Tala Albanna was born and raised in Gaza. She is a law student, a writer, and an activist in the human rights and environmental fields. She has a strong passion to discover more about the world of animals and nature. She likes to read and she also embroiders (tatreez) in her free time as a way to bond with her ancestral home in Jaffa. She recently received a scholarship to study in the United States.
