Alive
They warned us
We listened
They told us to run or die
We were frightened
They gave us just a few hours to rescue our lives
So we had no time to pack
We left the album that was full of our childhood memories
We left the house not knowing if we will ever come back
It was that night that I knew what death was
I saw it in our eyes
In the eyes of those who lost their mother, their father, their child
I saw it in the eyes of children that can’t dream of tomorrow
I saw it in those destroyed houses that had nothing in them but warmth
That night, I ran for my life
I saw nothing but death and darkness
I wish I was able to hear my mother’s voice
But the sound of their helicopters were louder
I wish I was able to feel warm
But their bombs broke all the glass
That night, I was running
Without any destination
I ran
It was dark
I was shaking
My heart was beating
I stopped breathing
I woke up in the morning
My hands were sticky
I didn’t want to open my eyes
I was afraid of what I could see
But I opened them
I saw blood on my clothes
Everywhere on my hands
Dried inside my nails
What happened that night?
I faced death
But I refused to die
I saw my mom again
She hugged me S
he said that we will find a way out
I nodded
I couldn’t speak
But I believed that we will survive
And we did
Now that I look back
I see a hero
I see it myself, in my mother, and in all those survivors
I see it in a country that refused to die.
By Lara Kaafarani
