Long before dawn’s first kiss,
the daily battles start anew:
We huddle, shivering, in a serpentine line,
a thousand souls, each yearning for a loaf of bread.
Six aching hours.
Some will leave with the same empty hands they arrived with.
Grandparents: old, sick, unable to stand.
Parents: clinging to their children’s hands.
Lone siblings, hoping to feed their families
instead of their own hearts with more grief.
Another battle.
The harder one:
Another queue for water.
Any container will do.
If our tears could fill them,
we would have enough.
Long after the moon’s sad lullaby,
we all gather in silence
seeking sweet rest…finding it temporary and bitter…
–before the dawn returns
and with it, the next battle.
Donya Abu Sitta’s new book is Pieces.
Pieces is a never-ending story, one that cannot be erased from memory. It is the cry of Gaza that still echoes between the walls of demolished houses, the pain of Jerusalem that refuses to subside, and the longing of Jaffa that will not die.
Pieces is a written testimony of pain, loss, and unwavering resilience. Through its poems, it tells the tragedies of the war of extermination in Gaza, but it also opens a window to the wounded hearts of all the cities in Palestine. Each poem is followed by a heartfelt message from a sad city, representing the Palestinian people who continue to hold onto hope despite the destruction.
