My Forever Heroes (Dedicated to Saa & Aboodi)

 

Quiet cooperation, unspoken resilience

Postponed dreams, maturity beyond years

Patience practiced in silence

Added responsibility on the small shoulders

Severe challenges and hardships,

But their response, “Everything’s going to be fine”

“This sacrifice will pay off” and one day,

“Our life is going to shine”

Bravery of growing up faster than their age

Hearts that carried more than their share

Your light never dimmed even in the dark

My little munchkins, you grew up so fast

Did I have a choice? No!

I had to keep going

For your sake

And for mine

They will never understand

The bitter sweet feeling I always had

When I look back and grieve 

For their carefree days of childhood that slipped away

Expensive toys 

that couldn’t be bought

Few treats 

And the innocence was lost

But I also marvel at the grace 

Of watching them grow into wiser souls

Missing the simple joys of childhood

And characters like a trophy they hold

Now when they stand tall

Their sacrifices become their wings

It was not for survival only

They turned into pillars of strength and wisdom

The world only highlight

The sacrifice parents make

And often ignore

The compromises those little hearts make

‘Iron Lady’

People called me

You are an inspiration

They told me

I refuse to wear that cape

Knowing how much effort you made

I just chose to be on this journey

But ONLY YOUR sacrifices lit the way

So my darlings!

You are my courage, my light, and my spark.

Let the world see and heavens applaud

You are my forever heroes from God

Loneliness

To the moments of silence, stay witnessed that I swallowed my complaints.

To the empty rooms, stay witnessed I did not run.

To the hollow spaces, stay witnessed that I breathed through the ache.

To the quietness, stay witness that I made you my friend

Let the walls remember that I did not cry loud.

Let the night testify that I did not shatter in its darkness.

Let the sunsets remember how I carried the weight of solitude.

In the absence of voices around, I simply endured.

Empty chairs and unshared meals, 

Wilted flowers and forgotten notes,

Drawn curtains and empty corners,

Unspoken prayer and silent dinner,

I have pushed myself to survive.

Loneliness once peaked from the window

I let it stay for some time

It lives with me now

I believe it is all mine