Life Through Her Eyes: 41

My land 

If you are taking my land 

I shall die on it

I will be buried in it 

Before I let you take it

Like my grandmother I’ll hold on to it’s trees 

Like my mother with its produce I’ll make a feast 

I am from this land and to it I will return 

If you are stealing my identity 

I shall hold on to it until I die

I am it, without having to try 

If you are threatening my existence 

I will be bombarded 

I will be killed

I will be brutalized and I am all alone 

Whether on land or sea

Everyone I know is dead whether they still breath Everywhere I look I see fear

Everywhere I look I see me In the little girl carrying her sisters body 

I see me In the burning child 

I see me In the devastated mother 

I see me In the helpless father 

I see me In every butchered limb 

I see me In every sad face 

I see me In every tired soul 

I see me In any parent 

I see me In any child 

I see me In any person that has ever been 

I see me In all people that will be 

I see me I am fighting for my basic needs 

I am fighting for myself  yet

The tunnel is so dark and deep

The light seems too far, it seems too bleak

About the Author

Rand is a 26-year-old Palestinian. She is the youngest of four children; she finished her undergraduate studies at Bir Zeit University, Ramallah, Palestine. During her university years, Rand grew more interested in the humanitarian structure and the Palestinian cause from a humanitarian point of view. Through volunteering and networking, Rand received many pieces of training in crisis management, and emergency navigation, as well as, humanitarian structure, signature, and localization allowing her to employ her knowledge in her career and as a volunteer with many local and international humanitarian organizations. Moreover, Rand is a very expressive artistic person who attempts to share her human experience through pen and brush. She is captivated by sunsets and Palestinian beauty.

All photos in the series are by Rand.