Brothers and Sisters

I once knew two little girls
Who used to walk to school
Together, every morning.
I used to smile, just as I saw them,
Smiling, in their innocence,
Making plans, just living, and laughing,
With no boundaries of religion, or race…
Just two little girls…
It’d been a month
since I hadn’t seen them both…
Until today, when I saw one,
Walking alone, head down,
Her eyes darkened with a frown…
She told me that the other girl
Was no longer among us…
Rockets had hit their neighborhood,
And her entire family was killed…
So many memories that built
In such a little mind…
An angel had lost her friend
And she had nothing left to mend
Her broken heart.

I just hugged her with all my might,
A told her it was going to be all right…
But was it really going to be?
As I had this child pressed towards me,
All sorts of thoughts assaulted my mind…
Many people lived confined,
In fear of losing what they cherished so much…
How are you able to handle such
Infamy towards your people?
Your brothers and sisters
Killed in a twister
Of bullets and bombing…
It feels like a poisoned needle
Stuck into your soul,
And you feel the need to howl…
I feel the girl sobbing in my arms,
As streams of tears run down my face…
I wish every Palestinian would be free from harm,
I wish they could be free to dwell in their space…
I wish there was not more bloodshed
…this war has to end.