We are 2.3 million in Gaza We are 14 million in the world We each are a story, stories, galaxies, the universe The horrors we’ve endured surpass lifetimes, stretch imaginations But we still are I am no poet nor am I a writer I am a human burdened with anger and grief, seeking refuge in the fragile art of translating these emotions into words The echoes of injustice have become my pen, and the cries of the stateless have become my ink My story Our story The Palestinian story Is not one of defeat It is a story of triumph against all odds. Let me tell you Hind Rajab’s story. The innocent bloom cut before her time Refaat Alareer wrote “if I must die you must live” And for that we rise from the ashes of oppression Our story will be written in the annals of justice. I am not, we are not, Palestinians are not defined by the wounds inflicted upon us but by the courage with which we rise above them. As the echoes of my words fade into the silence, remember this When the world dares to refer to us as Uncivilised human animals children of darkness remember this Within this child of darkness, the ember of resistance burns bright, Within this child of darkness resides, the combined strength of generations Within THIS child of darkness, shines an irresistible light 20