COMPASSION | GAZA | LOVE
Phrases I Stopped Using When Messaging Friends in Palestine
With the carnage in Gaza, so many common greetings lost their meaning and faded from my dictionary.
“Stay Safe.”
“Good luck.”
“Take care.”
Ahh, the wishful myth of controlling our own destinies. If we only do things right, we can keep away from danger. In Gaza, there is no escape, no knowing when the end is near. No place where one can be safe. The bomb approaches the building. No one inside knows.
“How are you?”
“Hope you are well.”
A few minutes on Twitter is enough distress, and then I remember that the people of Gaza are actually living this hell 24/7. Do I dare ask such a moot question?
“Have a great one.”
“Enjoy your day.”
“Done anything fun lately?”
How to make conversation with someone who probably spent the day walking miles to get a little unsafe water and a loaf of bread? Does pulling bodies from under the rubble count for “sports”? Talk about the movies? Theater? Forget it.
“What’s the weather like today?”
It’s gotten too predictable. Bomb showers from the northeast, a swarm of drones from the east, and naval artillery pounding from the west. Permanent low visibility from the dust clouds of explosions.
“Cheers.”
“So long.”
“Talk to you tomorrow.”
A casual promise that is, nowadays, a most fragile wish.
Nope! None of the above do. Ordinary speech disintegrates into meaningless grammar and punctuation. Figures of speech and turns of phrase blush alongside a stark naked reality that robs all words of their decency.
The best that I can say is,
“I love you!”
To Gaza With love,
Ramsey Hanhan
