Gaza - you are beautiful! All of us in our pink shirts a young girl with a beaming smile arms around my neck A boy on my shoulders his friends jumping around us unbridled energy caught in an instant Inshirah - a piercing stare and affection to melt the heart Beach camp children so curious and affectionate spilling onto their narrow streets cameras to their faces a window to their world 10,000 kites in the air 10,000 children looking to the sky world records broken that summer They would be in their 20’s now Where are they? How are they? Living a trauma of the worst design some dying a violent death one of the Bakr boys blown up playing ball on the beach with his cousins Recalling the open doors all over Gaza insisting on feeding me or sharing a cup of mint tea Generosity and humanity freely given and the only thing asked to bear witness Raghda - heart courageous filled with love for the world Amani - told me in Gaza an educator is a prophet she stepped through fear to teach us Noor - in my photo forever 19 immersed in your collage for Oregon now I watch you on TV 34, tired, crying as you report on the carnage around you Gaza - you are beautiful! Generosity and humanity freely given and the only thing asked is to not look away to bear witness
Emmet Whittaker (he/him) is an educator from Ireland, making Oregon his home for the past 20 years. With respect to these poems, he has worked on programs linking youth, adults, and educators in Gaza and the Pacific Northwest. He is honored to have spent time volunteering in Gaza.
