<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Moon Over Gaza<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 17.6px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">I am lonely</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">for my friends.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">They liked me,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">trusted my coming.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">I think they looked up at me</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">more than other people do.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 17.6px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">I who have been staring down so long</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">see no reason for the sorrows humans make.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">I dislike the scuffle and dust of bombs blasting</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">very much. It blocks my view.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 17.6px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">A landscape of sorrow and grieving</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">feels different afterwards. </span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">Different sheen from a simple desert,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">children who say my name</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">like a prayer. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 17.6px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">Sometimes I am bigger than</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">a golden plate,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">a giant coin</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">and everyone gasps. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 17.6px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">Maybe it is wrong</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block;">that I am so calm.</span></p><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Naomi Shihab Nye</div></div></body></html>