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