Two Poems by Ahlam Khadra
Empty
At fajr, they decide to detain you
place you in an empty jar
wait to hear your cries
succeed at the target they dream.
Decide to take your belongings
carve your walls with symbols
that come from their beliefs
they play innocent while concealing guilt.
Smash and wreck your home
leave you without family
cause emptiness
like the jar you’re caught in.
Broken into pieces
forget who you really are
cause all that abuse you endure
drowns you in a water full of sharks.
- Fajr means dawn in Arabic.
Moe
I wonder how you felt burned alive.
Was it dawn?
You went to pray in a mosque near the neighborhood
mom was waiting for you
breakfast was waiting for you
away for two hours.
I think of your disappearance
mom expects your appearance anytime
but you never came back that day
questions in me asking how you felt being set on fire.
Tears me apart
breathing
when your flesh was on fire.
-Mohammad Khodr-2014
Ahlam Khadra is a current graduate student in the MA English Literature program. She lived in Palestine for six years where she had received her B.A degree in English Literature. She is currently working as an English tutor in Huntington Learning Center. She enjoys working with organizations that benefit students’ learning skills in all subjects. She has a passion for writing free-style poems, short stories and essays relevant to love, abuse and war topics. She believes that one day, she will be able to make a difference in the world. She is a motivated person and is always prepared to help others.
Photo by Twila1313 on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND