The lives are reduced to numbers.

The children whose love for their country

Trump their fear of death

Are just tallies to you.

Do you understand

That when you call us names

And slash our throats

Behind the soldier is a human

Whose family lays awake

And mourns for the loss they know is to come?

How can you call for a cease fire

When we are forced to fight?

How can you call for peace

When your people are the ones with the cheers.

Calling home to say “mother! Mother! I killed a Jew!”

When you call for a boycott of a coffee

Or try to tear down a flag

How do you not realize that you are the problem?

The word genocide floats from your lips

And dissipates into the echo chamber you are in.

But the word genocide is stitched into our flag

And burned into our hearts.

A promise that we will not back down.

We will fight.

We have to.

We will fight for the hostages.

For the children drafted into the army before they know who they are.

For the families huddled in a shelter

Waiting for the storm to pass.

When you rally in the streets

With your signs raised high

And your voices spewing hate.

I think of my cousins.

I think of my uncle

I think of my dad and my grandma

and everyone who has fought for the freedom

You say we don’t deserve.

I will wear my Magen David proudly

For I know

That we will survive this.