My Wish

Do you know, Samar, my daughter what my wish is now?
That time returns me, as the little girl I was in my memory
When the only worry I had was my studies and studying,
And to work hard to make my parents and siblings proud,
And that the separation ceases to torture and haunt me
And that each member of my family would live under the same roof.
Do you know Samar, my daughter, what my wish is now?
To whisper with my friends in my school yard
And to write my daily events day after day, in my journal,
And wait for teachers’ day to assume the role of my teacher.
These were my worries within my kingdom’s borders.
Do you know Samar, my daughter, what my wish is now?
To put my head on my mother’s lap for her to solve my problem
And to turn the clock’s hands to prevent time from confronting me
So that the events in my story change to let my daughter live
Living the best of her life, and to burry me when my time comes
Forgive me God; please do not hold me accountable,
For my teacher had forgotten to teach me how to confront tragedy.

From: SAMAR: Sunset and Sunrise, Page 47

by Randah Ribhi Hamadeh, 2007, Copyright©

(Translated by Lina Ribhi Hamadeh)
Samar, Sunset and Sunrise