When you walk under the rain,
take off your shoes.
Let your feet feel the water on the ground,
let them soak a little.
Let your feet sink into mud, feel its squish, and play with it
using your toes.
But whatever you do,
don’t look up at the sky.
That gray sky with its black clouds.
You will see death hovering above you,
smiling a terrible smile.
You will see poisonous smoke in the air.
You will see the souls of children
gazing down at you with pity.
You will see the rain turn red,
mixed with blood.
You will not like the sight of the sky,
so don’t look at it.
Look at the ground,
at the puddle of water.
There, you will see your reflection.
Look closely and remember who you are.
This is you, and this is the land
where you grew up.
Debris will fall on this puddle,
and at any moment, it might kill you.
Run away and stop at another puddle. Look at your reflection again.
Remember who you are,
then run
again.
And when the rain stops
and the puddles dry up, look up at the sky.
Have you understood
what has happened to you?
Have you finally realized
What is going on?
Have you understood you are forgotten,
perhaps even dead to those people
who stripped you of your identity
and took away your safety.
Who killed your family
and broke your spirit.
The time has come.
You will fight so the sky regains its blue,
the clouds their white,
and the rain runs clear!
You will fight so that the sun rises,
plants grow,
and you breathe oxygen instead of gunpowder.
And either you return victorious, or you do not return at all.
Reem Sleem
Reem Sleem is an English literature student at Al-Azhar University. She is Palestinian from Gaza, displaced to Egypt. She is a writer of stories and articles. She has previously written for the websites of Electronic Intifada, the Institute of Palestine Studies, and We are Not Numbers.
Art by Amira Khalil https://www.instagram.com/amirakhalil._/?locale=ar-en&hl=en
