Thirteen

I was born in Middle East in the outskirt of a state of Palestine – Abducted at birth and my father executed when I was thirteen; We buried him alone, bade him goodbye, in the midst of night. Our desires and dreams, as family, put to fire and set alight. Aware that our knight, the hope and the warmth with him are gone, We felt unsafe, uncared for, deserted by life – menace sworn. I was only thirteen years old when I was targeted to be raped, Brutal a man who wished to ravish and leave my womanhood reshaped. I witnessed my mother ravished – my fear remains indissoluble till today, Take it straight from me, I laid back, with hopeless anguish in my way. At only thirteen, I saw how my mother endured the brutality of wild man – My heroine, violated at the expense of my wellness as best as one can. Which despicable man lets a woman go through such torment, I, the child, my soul from within weeping tears of sad lament? Life in Middle East was never fair on us we absconded for a better state, Traveled through a desert, to as farther as our feet could possibly take. Life was hell –with the knife I was ready to stab into my troubled heart Bleed to death for as long as me and torture could live apart With a pistol I was ready to shoot right to the level of my head, My life was just of pain and unworthiness –I felt as good as dead. Death or dignity – we crossed the desert scared to live, scared to die; For it seemed like only the stars were peaceably with us from the sky. Just give to God what belongs to God, and to earth what belongs to earth; Today it marks thirteen year since my father died, I’m sadly reminded now of his death. March 16, 2017