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Artwork: “Behind the Wall” (2026) by Palestinian artist Sara Khayat Paired with “Defying the Universe” by Palestinian poet Samah Sabawi. DEFYING THE UNIVERSE Are your loved ones trapped behind the wall Do they need the army’s permission For their prayers to reach the sky For their love to cross the ocean And touch your thirsty heart Are your loved ones trapped Do you yearn to be in your family home And when you call them Do they always say “we are well, alhamdollelah” Does it surprise you That they are whole But you… you are broken Must they always worry about you Urge you to have faith in your exile Must they pity you For not breathing the air Of your ancestors’ land Must they always comfort you Even when the bombs are falling Do you ever wonder who is walled in Is it you, or is it them And when it finally dawns upon you That their dignity sets them free Do you feel ashamed of your liberty Are your loved ones trapped behind the wall Do they tell you stories Of how they survive The trees they’ve replanted The homes they’ve rebuilt Do they assure you life goes on Old men still fiddle with their prayer beads Mothers still bake mamoul on Eid Families still gather under the canopies With loaded bunches of grapes Dangling above their heads They nibble on watermelon seeds They drink meramiah tea Women perfect the art of match-making Men talk of freedom and democracy Children climb on a sycamore tree Lovers woo in secrecy And no matter how the conditions are adverse Do your loved ones defy this universe Your loved ones defy this universe — Samah Sabawi Sabawi wrote this poem in the aftermath of Israel's 2008–2009 assault on Gaza. It explores the pain of Palestinian exile, particularly the strange reversal in which those living under occupation sometimes find themselves comforting relatives who are physically free but separated from their homeland.