"I Yearn For a Moment of Boredom of the Lady with Hearing Loss”

She is a Gaza-based poet and cultural activist, who wrote this on Facebook on December 13

- Fedaa Zeyad

At two-thirty after midnight, the rain was intense. I love the rain. It was less harsh when the rain dropped on the roof of the house.

During past winters, upon waking to the rain's voice, the first thing I would do was to reach the window and immerse my hand in the rainwater.

When my students expressed fear of its sound, often accompanied by thunder, I would reassure them, describing it as an affectionate presence. "Extend your hands and experience it for yourself," I would tell them.

Today's rain was unfamiliar; its sound harsh and distant from home and the classroom.

Much like the hesitancy in children, I was scared to open the window and extend my hand outside.

I cannot get any sleep to ease my anxious mind.