Oh World
I am writing to you now from beneath the rubble
Through the dust of homes that were once full of life,
And the scent of ashes which once smelled bread and laughter
They claim the war is over!
Which one do they mean?!
Does war end just when the planes’ noise come to an end?!
Or when a child can finally sleep between the arms of his mother
Without trembling whenever he hears an explosion?!
Perhaps the war stopped where you are
But here, in Gaza, it has not yet
The fire is still burning in my chest
In my heart which has lost my beloved ones
In my eyes that are looking for the shadow of a mother in vain
For a hug of a father who is under the ruins
I am one of those who remained with the wreckage
I survived death
But not loss
I lost my mother, my father, my brothers, my home, and my dreams
All that remains around me is this ash that you
Which you describe as “peace after war.”
You are talking about “ceasefire”!
However, I ask, who will end the fire inside me?!
Who will extinguish the flames of longing?!
I watch everyone around the world laughing in their homes,
While I live among the ruins of my house
Which witnessed the last moments I shared with those whom I loved
You say that peace is back!
But what kind of peace that that comes late
After those I lived for are gone!
Peace without family, without warmth, and without a safe homeland is not a life
Oh world
Look at me just once
Not as a number in a cold report
But as a soul that is still trying to breathe through the dust
Stop your silent war against us
For our hearts are still trying to face death
With dreams and life
I am not a hero nor yet a martyr
I am simply a human being
It is true that my body survived the war
But my soul is still burning each night
While you are silent.
Sakher Yousef
10/10/2025
(Translated by writer and edited by Palestinian Stories team)
