Written by Saleh, a 17-year-old poet from Gaza, ‘When the Sea became a Wall’ is the first in a series of letterpress prints facilitated by writers Alice Oswald, Zaffar Kunial, Max Porter & Robert Macfarlane.

The print is accompanied by a statement titled ‘Repeating Ourselves’, which reads:

‘It needs to be repeated that this is the first genocide that has happened on our phones. It needs to be repeated that we are capable of watching something for two years without seeing it. It needs to be repeated that even when we have dimly registered the scale of destruction in Gaza, we have not been able to stop it with protests or with boycotts or with letters to the government. We will continue to protest and to boycott and to send letters to the government. It needs to be repeated that an entire population is on the brink of starvation and we know this but can’t get the food past the blockade. It needs to be repeated that our country is deeply implicated in the destruction of Gaza and this weighs on everyone’s psyche, especially because it is so often denied, especially because history is repeating itself.

In this crisis of repetitions, we want to draw attention to poems being written by Palestinians. We want to print them, so they can physically share space with their reader. The first of these poems is by Saleh, a 17-year-old poet from Gaza. He is one of millions who are trying to survive Israel’s full-scale assault on a starving people. He has not stopped writing. He is writing in an English that is clearer than ours.

Alice Oswald, Zaffar Kunial, Max Porter & Robert Macfarlane.’

Saleh’s poem, ‘When the Sea became a Wall’, has been letterpress-printed by Theo Hersey. You can buy a print of the poem here. Each purchase comes with an A5 print of ‘Repeating Ourselves’. Prints will ship out w/c 30 June.

All proceeds will be shared directly with Saleh & his family, with Medical Aid for Palestinians & with Save the Children.

This is the first in a forthcoming series of letterpress poems by Palestinian poets. Each new edition will be announced via the Instagram accounts of Zaffar Kunial, Max Porter, Robert Macfarlane & Theo Hersey.