Write my name on my leg mama
Use the black permanent marker
With the ink that doesn't bleed if it gets wet
The one that doesn't melt if it's exposed to heat

Write my name on my leg mama
Make the lines thick and clear
Add your special flourishes
So I can take comfort in seeing my mama's handwriting when I go to sleep

Write my name on my leg mama
And on the legs of my sisters and brothers
This way we will belong together
This way we will be known as your children

Write my name on my leg mama
And please write your name and baba's name on your legs too
So we will be remembered as a family

Write my name on my leg mama
When the bomb hits our house
When the walls crush our skull and bones
Our legs will tell our story

How there was nowhere for us to run

--- Zayna Azam

#ZaynaAzam #poem #poetry #Gaza #genocide