My Silent Protest

Guest writer: Lina Elsaie

Editor: Ahmed Ashry


This is my silent protest. I will stay home and paint on the walls. I will bake. I will read. I will write. I will eat. I will watch movies. I will watch TV shows. I will cry in my bed at night because I miss my friends. I will deal with the depressive episodes. I will deal with the anxiety. I will clean my room again and again because something doesn’t fit right.I will rearrange my books and my clothes. I will celebrate my friends’ birthdays over the phone. I will FaceTime my friends instead of going out with them.I will sit in front of my balcony instead of being outside. I will sleep at 12 pm and wake up at 8 pm. I will stay up for days at a time. I will take time to braid my hair on my own. I will learn how to play the ukulele. I will make some new friends and reconnect with the old ones. I will wear a mask that almost covers my eyes. I will obsessively put sanitizer on my hands. I’ll change my gloves after I touch a few things. I will put my shoes and jacket in the balcony for three days after I come home.I’ll wash my hands before taking off the mask that almost covers my eyes. I will wash my hands up till my elbows. I’ll wash my face too, I’ll put my clothes in the washing machine; then, I’ll wash my hands again. I’ll disinfect my phone, my keys and my belt. I will leave any foreign object from the Outside World isolated for at least three days. I will wash my hands for no reason at all. I will wash my hands because I can’t remember the last time I did wash my hands. I will wash my hands because I remember that the last time I washed my hands, I didn’t put two pumps of soap. I will straighten out my utensils. I will only turn off the lights if the window is shut. I will only keep two of my three pillows on my bed. I will change my sheets and duvet cover whenever I need a change of scenery. I will try to cook something new. I will paint on every surface I can. I will ration my white and yellow paint so I can put off getting some new paint. I will put off responding to people for weeks at a time. I will discover new music everyday. This is my silent protest to you. “But who are you?”, one may ask. Well, you are the person who extends the curfew. You are the person who goes out without a mask. You are the person who goes on morning runs with their friends. You are the person who doesn’t stay 6 feet away. You are the person who goes out when the curfew is extended. You are the person who goes to their friends’ houses. You are the person who wears gloves but touches everything. You are the person who touches your face without washing your hands. You are the person who doesn’t believe the virus exists because they don’t know anyone who contracted the virus. You are the person who’s creating conspiracy theories to poison the people’s minds. You are the person who doesn’t wash their hands for at least 20 seconds. You are the person who hosts dinner parties at your home. You are the person who will cruise around with your friends in the car without wearing a mask. You are the person who goes out past curfew because nothing will happen if you do. You are the person who supports these actions against social distancing. So I will silently protest you for months. I will stop when you stay home, stay safe, and stop endangering yourself and the people around you.