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[palipoet]

#2: For the Children in the Incubators- The Babies of Al-Shifa Hospital

You came too early in this world to survive on your own 

Just in time to experience war 

Too late to stop it-

The power cords unplugged, oxygen cut.

As I watch my son grow 

I think of the milestones you will never reach-

A subtle smile at 6 weeks,

Soon after, shining brightly for your mother 

Holding your head up at 4 months

Ready to take in the curious sites of the world 

Crawling at 7 months 

Finally able to move on your own without anyone holding on to you

First steps at 12 months,

At last your feet touch the ground 

As you run in the gardens of heaven,

I hope his feet touch the land yours never did–

The land of our ancestors.

Free.

[palipoet]

#1: For the Man Who Had the Smallest Dream– Tareq S. Hajjaj

You told me of such a small dream,

a dream destroyed by those who hold a white flag to the world

as their hands drip red.

You dreamt of a small house–

was it by the sea,

the cerulean waves calmly rolling as you gazed from the window?

You dreamt of your children’s laughter–

Was it sweet as a serene song,

Weaving past you from wall to wall?

You dreamt of your wife’s cooking–

Was it the smell of maklouba,

The uplifting aroma of a dish flipped upside down?

Now you see the colossal residents crashing.

Now you hear the disconcerted cries of your children in between bombs.

Now you smell gas and decay in a city turned upside down

in an unending agonizing nightmare.

The rest of the world sleeps

But some of us still watch you,

Wide awake.

A/N: I wrote this in reference to the following article