I am Rachel

I have the blood of warriors pulsing through my veins
from Yehudit
to Queen Esther
to the Maccabim
Bar Kokhba fighters
Ghetto uprisings
the Etzel the Leḥi
my people have been slain
slaughtered
murdered
for our mere identity
for something as simple as hatred
yet we persevered
did not allow murder to swallow us whole
made sure to create a world where we existed within light
despite our enemies
despite the darkness they shoved us into

I am not another body to contribute blood to the streets
I am not a shell of bones created to be despised
if need be i will take this shell of bones and create a warrior capable of abundant red
for liberation or justice
for my people
for our homeland
the strength lives under my skin
waiting to be exposed
it exists within my ancestry
resistance is in my bones
my family has seen too much bloodshed
I will be strong for them
for the thousands of years they escaped the sword
yearning for Jerusalem
praying to come home
fighting for safety
I will fulfill their wishes
and I will make sure no one gets in my way.

Love me or hate me
i don’t care
we are no longer your punching bag
despite the ticking time bomb you follows us with
we are no longer waiting for your approval
we don’t care anymore.

So if you see me with red peeking through my skeleton
know that I am no one to be messed with
know i am Rachel
daughter of every Judean warrior you have ever feared
sister of every D’vora that exists within every generation
loved and feared by whoever deserves it
know i have a mission of survival
of justice
of fulfilling the Creator’s wish
of achieving my homeland’s desire of it’s soulmate’s return
know i will stop at nothing to carry this through.
know i will not let anyone stand in my way.