I read Genocide Bad by @simkern.bsky.social recently, and am now in the middle of One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El-Akkad.

I highly recommend reading them together - they complement each other so well.

My heart is with the Kashmiri people, whose families pay the price as the corrupt governments on either side of them capitalize + boost their own PR over these violent displays.

Truly! It's life changing. Someone also pointed out how being forced to mask creates this awful feedback loop, where we mask in response to rejection > still feel rejected because people can sense we're not at ease/ not being authentic, despite doing everything we're "supposed" to.

So relatable. I also feel that the people who make us feel safe enough to unmask get a better version of us. One that is more relaxed, attuned and happy overall than the person who is trying desperately (and still failing) to fit in.

This poem is part of “Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire”, and it is still a free e-book courtesy of @haymarketbooks.bsky.social. If you haven’t read it yet, you really should.

www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1885-l...