Your Stories Look Me in the Eyes

By Basman Derawi and Michal Rubin

From societies living together yet drowning in hatred and despair emerge two souls who see the truth in the wisdom of their prophets: "Feed the hungry and greet with words of peace those you know and those you do not know" and "the work of righteousness shall be peace". Basman Derawi (Gaza/Egypt) and Michal Rubin (Israel/US) write for a true "Never again" "Not in my name", for a child not to have "Genocide" in his/her dictionary, for living colonization free, occupation free, for no more selective humanity, for justice which is the only road to real peace.

This is a book of searching and finding, through fear and pain, their shared humanity, love of the land, and its people, and decide, in their unique way through poetry, to co-create the yet unfertilized seed of a new reality.

As Rubin writes:

When I hear you say

"I am from Gaza"

I think I must paint the screams I don't hear

and that there isn't enough love

nor enough red paint

and what color to use

for the silence

between cries

And Derawi responds:

When I hear you say,

"I am from Israel"

and you unzip your chest,

handing me your heart.

Same hearts, same humanity.

I breathe again, I almost cry.

The poems in this collection are a precious example of a careful and thoughtful paradigm shift, creating a path to a world of justice, trust, caring, love, and safety between "enemies".

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1967022208
• ISBN13: 9781967022205
• Release Date: October 2025
• Publisher: Fomite
• Length: 76 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.5" x 8.0"