They make a national hero of you 
For kicking a ball,
Scoring a goal.
They take to the streets and celebrate til dawn,
Salute you, sing your name, 
Pay you millions,
Put your pictures everywhere. 
But when it comes
To marching against genocide,
Hanging posters everywhere,
Calling for saving the lives
Of thousands of kids
Who dreamed to live
Enough to kick a ball, to score a goal, 
They make a villain out of you.
“It’s still a game,” they say.

Mohammed Moussa is a Gaza poet in exile, and the founder of the Gaza Poets Society. His next collection Where to Lay this Heart is published by the Gaza Poets Society this August. You can support Gaza Poets at https://buymeacoffee.com/gazapoets.