collateral damage

You were born to bend with laughter,

jump at the scary part of the movie,

play the song you wrote for your best friends,

feel the sand between your toes and to

look up at the sky without fear.

You were born to parents who longed for you

a mother who cradled the fullness of her belly

and dreamt of your face.

When you hurt,

she comforted you.

So many people loved you, Habipti.

You were not born for torture.

You were not born to

lose your arm.

or your mother.

You were not meant

to be buried without

your loved one’s tears–

one more shroud

the color of

your brightest memory

of the Gaza sky.