EYES WISE AND OLD
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Poem written for and submitted to "Children of Gaza" poetry contest, Matt Caliri, sponsor, September 12, 2025
EYES WISE AND OLD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are the children of Gaza~
we’ve tasted fear, smelt burning air,
a generation forged in conflict
We are the children of Gaza~
our feet are shoeless and dust-caked,
wartime rubble, our playground
We are the children of Gaza~
our crayons and picture books destroyed,
replaced with shrapnel and fear.
We are the children of Gaza~
sirens are our lullabies,
the news, our bedtime stories.
We are the children of Gaza~
our laughter is a fragile bird
taking flight between explosions.
We are the children of Gaza~
we build castles of dust and sorrow,
imagination, our shields against war’s despair.
We are the children of Gaza~
we long for normalcy, wish for a swing set,
yearning for a simple, unbroken day.
We are the children of Gaza~
we learned survival before subtraction,
experiencing loss before love.
We are the children of Gaza~
our childhoods stolen, piece by piece,
by the cruel arithmetic of war.
We are the lost children of Gaza~
our eyes wide and old,
hold stories we shouldn’t know.
Copyright © Sara Etgen-Baker | Year Posted 2025
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