هناك

أفاق من نومه على صوت عصفور يستغيث طلباً للدف بشباكه

فتح عينيه ببطئ بحثا عن والدته ..

لم تكن هناك ... لم يكن هو هناك ...

ما عاد هناك هناك..

نظر الى العصفور الذي حلق وراء سربه الى الأفق البعيد ....

الى الدفء ...

نظر حوله الى الجدار الأبيض و المصباح الوحيد في الصالة ..

أشعله ..

و للحظة .. تمنى لو لم يستيقظ .. تمنى لو احتضنه الحلم الى العالم الآخر ..

لاجئ ...Refugee

 الكلمة الوحيدة التي تعلمها في خلال العشرة أيام الماضية

"اسمي عبد الكريم و أنا لاجئ سوري"

أعادها بالانجليزية ...و دمعت عيناه..

خرجت ابنته أمل من غرفتها..

- بابا هل أنت مستيقظ ...

- نعم يا حبيبتي ...

جلست بقربه في الغرفة النصف معتمه و قالت :

- بابا.. هل سنعود الى وطننا؟  

 احتضنها و أشار الى صدرها: وطنك هنا تحملينه معك دوماً ..

-          حتى في المدرسة؟

-          حتى في المدرسة... هيا عودي للنوم..

قبلته و اختفت في الجزء المعتم من الصالة ..

 أغمض عينيه ....

و مازالت أصوات نواعير حماة  تدور في خياله ...



Eid 2016

As part of a creative writing class I am taking, we were asked to write a story about our day. That was Monday September 12, 2016.

Eid Al-Adha 2016
Location: Omaha, Nebraska 

I opened my eyes, glazed at the peach wall in front of me and thought: "It is Eid," one of the two main holidays in the Islamic calendar. I reached for my phone near my bed and started scrolling down the many messages I received from my family and friends back home. Pictures of children in new fancy clothing, feasts and many many smiles. 
I woke my husband up to go to work. We put on nice clothes, and we snapped a picture to add to the family album of Eid day memories. The rest of the day was like any other day at work. 
At 8 pm, I decided to visit the refugee family I am mentoring. While driving to their home, I thought to myself: Those poor kids are thousands of miles away from their home, their friends and everything they ever knew in their life. I passed by a dollar store and decided to stop and pick up something for them. In my mind, I was trying to do something for them but in the same time for myself. Seeing children's' smiles reminds me of home. I bought candy and coloring books, and I went to their house. 
The weather was gray with heavy clouds covering the horizon. I knocked on the door, and the 11-year-old Sobhia yelled: "Auntie."