Holding in the blood – Science Poetry

Between the bone lines
and the water map,
What wanders in the invisible place –
Salt script,
No p under the skin.
The child doesn’t know
The weight they carry
How big is the pressing of both hands
Before they are curled into formation
Own.
By blood
and quiet etching,
The remaining marks –
Unseen wounds
But given
No touch.
In the silence of the bone marrow,
Memory rooted
Not a story
But as a body thing
I’ve always known it.

The poem is inspired by recent research that found that war-related trauma has changed the DNA of Syrian refugee families and affected children and grandchildren.

Violence not only affects those directly experienced violence—it can have lasting effects over generations. Trauma during pregnancy may change the function of a gene through biological changes called epigenetic modifications, which may shape long-term health. Although past research has shown that trauma affects individuals, these effects are transmitted much less. Understanding this process is critical to understanding the lasting consequences of conflict and displacement, especially for refugee communities.

The study examined DNA patterns in three generations of Syrian refugees to explore how war-related violence affects gene expression. The researchers analyzed biological samples from 131 participants and found clear genetic markers related to genetics and direct exposure to violence. Children exposed to trauma before birth show signs of accelerated aging, stressing that pregnancy is a critical period of fragility. This study provides the first direct evidence that the biological signature of intergenerational trauma illuminates the impact of conflicts that affect families long after ending.