Written By Alissa Afzaal
I knew I wasn’t human, or at least not truly.
I acted like a human, did the same things they did. I had a family, ate three times a day, and had faith in God.
I felt like a human, the same emotions they felt. I was upset and mad when my father died in front of me, I was happy and excited when I found something I was good at.
They didn’t care, that I was exactly like them, I just looked a little different, I just came from a different background, I just believed a little differently.
When they look at me they don’t see something that is just as human as them, they see a monster. I could tell from the way I was avoided on the streets, from the way people took one look at my greyish skin and pointed horns and held on to their child’s hand a little tighter.
Just because I looked a little different and believed a little bit differently they saw me as a threat and that was all it took for them to turn on me, to hurt me.
They raised pitchforks, pointed with fire, burning down the little shelter I had.
They shouted at me in the streets when I was just walking through.
“Monster,” they sneered as they saw me enter the shops.
“Move away,” they whispered to their kids as I passed by them.
“Freak,” they yelled, passing by me spitting into my food.
It kept on going, and going until I snapped. I yelled at them “I’m just as human as you!”
I shouted “You’re the monsters, not me!”
I retaliated, I fought back and now I am the monster they told me I was, I’m the problem they said I am, I’m the cause that started it all.
All because I look a little different. Speak a different way.
All because I don’t seem like a human.
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People all over the world are being treated less like humans. The tragedy that is happening in Gaza is just one example of the horrible things that have been happening all over the world, in Palestine, Sudan, Iraq and so many more places.
Innocent children and adults alike are being bombed all over the world because of greed and the hunger for power, and this, along with treating people differently because of how they look or what they believe, is a problem that has been going on for centuries that is far too normalized to this day.
I just hope that one day we can live in a world where everyone is treated like humans.
About the Author
Alissa Afzaal is a 7th grader at Fort Settlement Middle School. She has a passion for all things related to words, whether it’s reading or writing. She also loves traveling around the world and learning about different cultures and sightseeing at all the amazing tourist attractions!