Day 7
At 7 days old
Your eyes are still blurry.
All you do is eat and sleep
You cry, a lot
People are happy you're here
You are swamped with love and kisses on your sweet little face.
You are not Nabila Nofal.
The first seven days of Nabila’s life were filled with rockets and bombs.
The first seven days of Nabila’s life were motherless
The first seven days of Nabila’s life were cold and loud
The first seven days of Nabila’s life, she was thirsty
The first seven days of Nabila’s life were her life
Nabila was murdered on the 7th of October, during the bombing of the hospital she was born in
Her last and first breath were the same.
Her last and first memory were war
Nabila Nofal could have been a doctor, a mother, a scientist or a banker
We will never know what Nabila could have been.
This is all we know.
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.