Two Fish, No Miracle is a poem paired with a sandcast glass sculpture engraved with Arabic words reflecting on Gaza today. Inspired by the biblical story of the boy’s two fish and five loaves, a miracle where a small offering fed thousands, the work contrasts hope and abundance with the reality Gaza faces now. The Arabic root ع ج ز (ʿ-j-z) is engraved, linking the words for helplessness, obstruction and miracle, inviting reflection on what it means that such opposing ideas might share the same origin. The two fish quietly swim, embodying the tension between hope and despair in a place where miracles feel out of reach—maybe they are lost, or can’t find their way.

Two fish, no miracle

2025

I lost my words—
so I let the boy’s two fish swim.
From the Sea of Galilee
to Gaza’s shore, where
the miracle cannot reach.

The sea kneels its gift,
and the siege locks the waves.

Carved in the water are words
from the Arabic root ع ج ز (ʿ-j-z),

‎عجز — helplessness
‎تعجيز — obstruction
‎عاجزة — I am helpless
‎معجزة — miracle

Is it a coincidence
that these words pull each other apart?
Or is it written in our language,
that helplessness and miracle
are born of the same root?

The boy’s two fish swim,
and I watch them.