A Future Beyond the Rubble

for Taqwa Ahmed Al-Wawi

Who am I sitting here
hoping for change
blogging my feelings
posting my anger
carrying my sign
to the protest rally?

Activist? 
I think not. 

Who am I
listening to the bad, bad news
imagining, re-posting
a poem
an article
about someone else’s horrific reality?

Witness?
I think not.

Who am I 
sitting here in on my bed
getting texts from a poet in Gaza
who has not yet lived 2 decades
who has seen more death already
than I will ever see?

Poet?
I like to think.

Who am I
writing encouraging lines to her
about poetry and language
when she is living on drops of water
sleepless from the incessant noise
of genocide?

Lifeline?
Perhaps

What to say? 
What to ask?

Are you okay? 
What is okay?

Are you safe?
There is no safe place.

Are you alive?
Every message is asking that.

Are my carefully chosen words over Whatsapp
coming to you in a moment when you are 
fleeing for your life?
fighting to get food?
struggling to think your next thought?
helping someone else to survive?

Are there moments when you laugh?
Is a fleeting joy ever possible?
I want to ask, but I’m ashamed
of my ignorance, of my privilege
sitting here
on my bed
sobbing
ranting
raging
as if I had a right to

I want you to live 
to be the great poet of Palestine
I already know you to be

You want a future
beyond the rubble
over which it may be impossible to see

Still, you do see
Walking through it, you reach 
beyond the darkness 
toward what you see

Because of that
here I am 
A random American who had her radio on in the car at just 				exactly the right time 
sitting on my bed 
halfway across the world 
knowing your name
hearing your voice

sharing with you 
through lines of poetry
your grief 
	which must be shared
your vision
	which inspires the courage to fight for it
and these precious moments
	which we won’t forget

                        — Purple Hazel Green
                             Aug-Sept. 2025

TAQWA AHMED AL-WAWI is a 19-year old student, writer, and poet writing from Gaza “to amplify Gaza’s voice and shed light on stories that are often left untold.” The title of this poem was taken from words Taqwa wrote about her life. Her deeply sensitive poetry and vivid reports of her life and the lives of those around her can be found here:

https://tqwaportfolio-project.netlify.app/