She asked me why the caged birds sang.
I couldn’t tell her,
not for sure.
No mate will arrive this year,
just like last year.
I wonder if they remember,
perhaps they still
live in hope.
She asked me if they heard the bombs falling
and if they felt fear.
I couldn’t tell her,
not for sure.
Perhaps peace will arrive this year,
unlike last year.
I wonder if they remember peace,
perhaps they still
live in hope
as we all do
here
where the bombs never stop.
• https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/17/how-the-songbirds-of-rafah-help-palestinians-cope-with-the-terror-of-war