Life Through Her Eyes: 42

                                                   Forget But Not Yet

I’ve become very forgetful 

I’m losing periods of time

I’ve lost my train of thoughts just now

I’m not focused 

As if my mind has a mind of its own and it’s preoccupied 

I’m losing my words, unable to speak any language

 
I forget to dream

I forget to eat 

I forget, but yet I remember every story I read from inside Gaza 

I remember to count every day of genocide 

I remember the text from my friend saying goodbye 

I remember the friends I have lost, everything about their lives

I remember the old man who collapsed in my arms 

I remember being excited about “the day after” 

It’s seems that my soul, heart and mind are in one place 

While my body keeps floating. empty. 

How can I be whole when so many pieces of me are dead 

How can I be whole when my past is full of blood and my future

 is in the palms of my enemy 

How can I be whole when my present is what I strive to escape

Every time I eat 

I remember the hungry kids in Gaza 

Every time I shower 

I remember the imagery of kids bathing in the sea

Every time I buy something 

I remember the ones who have lost everything 

Every time I travel 

I remember the people who were forced out of their homes 

And every time I hug my parents 

I remember the ones who lost theirs 

And every time  I lay in my warm bed 

I feel the night’s cold breeze.

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.