PALESTINE
Ceasefire! Spring and the Rebirth of Love
The ceasefire is only the beginning of recovery, and the struggle for freedom and justice continues
“Spring is our proof that radical, revolutionary change is possible, and very quickly.”
This comes from my opening remarks at a “Poetry for Palestine” event, two nights before New Years’ Eve:
“I invite you to look at Spring.
Trees lay bare for what seems like forever,
then buds sprout,
and again it seems like forever,
but you wake up one morning and you see flowers of every color,
and the next week it’s green all over, and birdsongs fill the air.Yet it happens in the most gentle way:
each leaf opens up on its own,
but synchronized —
Collectively!”
Whereas the news of a ceasefire brings hope, Gaza’s road to recovery and rebuilding is long. A little over a year ago, Gaza was a thriving city where a million children lived and played and went to school. Now, it’s little more than rubble. The orphans and child amputees, who number in the tens of thousands, will carry their scars for the rest of their lives. The psychological trauma all children experienced will linger for decades, if not generations.
It is important that we keep the movement that has gathered around the cause of justice coalesced and growing. The ceasefire is only the beginning of recovery, and the struggle for freedom and justice continues.
May 2025 bring you happiness and deliver peace and relief to the world.
Thank you for your support throughout the incredibly difficult past year.
With love,
Ramsey Hanhan
Author and Public Speaker
