I was born amidst blooming flowers and uncontaminated intentions,
I was born to the sound of chirping birds and a noisy freedom,
I was born in the beautiful chaos of my little home,
I was born in the silence of dawn and to the smell of my mother’s scent,
I was born.
...
I grew up to the perishing happiness and smokey skies,
I grew up to the sound of terrorized
attacks and gloomy lies,
I grew up for the passion of a silent sleep
and a guaranteed love,
I grew up to the dead flowers and the fading birds.
I grew up for my threatened spirits
of learning the alphabet,
I somehow grew up.
...
I died in that narrow lane outside my house,
I died in the uproar of my opponents’ attack,
I died a death which extinguishes their passions,
I died with a heart with which many claim to empathize,
I died in a sleep next to my mother’s breath,
I died to the agonizing screams of
all the people I had ever known,
I died painfully but with a peace of mind,
I died because I was from Palestine.
Almas Shehzad
Jeddah