My Greatest Wish
Being a Palestinian means my existence is resistance. My greatest wish is for the world to know who Palestinians really are. As our souls leave this earth one by one, I have decided to pick up my pen and write to the world for my words to be etched in stone for all of history. My greatest wish is for the world to know who I am, Amany Omar, a poetry and prose writer from Gaza. A mother of 2 beautiful kids who want nothing more in this life to live in simplicity and mundane beauty. And yet, I cannot promise them such a future, I can only promise them hope. Whether I make it through this genocide, or I draw my last breath before the end, my greatest wish is for you, the reader to know who I was.
I am a woman who had dreams and aspirations. I went to Al Azhar University- Gaza and had majored in English and French Literature. My contribution to my people came in the form of being an English teacher. As a little girl I had dreams of writing and publishing my work someday. But in Gaza, our dreams always seemed far away. I have never seen a world beyond Gaza, but I hope that my words do. In Gaza, our society has always been tested with the pressures of occupation. Because of this, many of our hopes and dreams never come to fruition. And now, the darkness that befalls these dreams of mine seems bleaker than ever. Yet with this grain of hope that I still hold onto, I write. I write as bombs are raining down on me. I write as quadcopters are slaughtering people right outside my tent. I write as my children play to distract themselves from hunger. I write as blood fills the streets. I write as the ashes of my people sendoff embers into the sky. I write with the hope that as my society burns, my words will rise like a phoenix from the ashes of my loved ones.
My name is Amany Omar, please don’t ever forget me.
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As I chronicle my life through this hardship, your subscriptions will help me get through the days we face hunger and famine. The days we need medical attention or when a family member becomes disabled.
How your support helps me achieve my wish
I do not have direct access to many of my platforms. They are managed by a near and dear friend of mine in America named Pacific. All of my words are either sent to her through Whatsapp or through email to my good friend Pacific. My internet here isn’t always the best. We have to find makeshift ways to publish my diary to the world. This is the nature of these tough circumstances. Your support not only amplifies my voice but gets us through our day-to-day needs in this genocide, like food, water and clothing.
