Three poems, Lubna Ahmed

My Own Reflection in the Mirror

Everyone looks into the mirror
To find their face—
To meet their eyes,
To touch a familiar smile.

But O, dear me—
I look, and I can’t see me
I see the visage of my rubble staring back.

O, that mirror—
That cold, aggressive mirror,
You are unfair.

Where is the sparkle in my eyes?
Where is the soul that dreamed of light?
Where is the girl
Who once smiled
Without carrying the weight of the sky?

O, that foggy reflection I see.

Why do I look old?
Worn before my time?

You—mirror—
You have stolen my age,
My laughter, and
My time.

You dimmed my flame,
And carved war into my skin.

O, dear me.
O, weary me.

Once a human—
Now a shattered image on glass.

Shall I break you
To set myself free?

I raise my hand—
But suddenly I see—
A thousand shards of me
Staring back.

Am I broken?
Or are you?

The Weight of Silence

The Gazan martyrs
refuse to die unless they
sketch a shuttered line
or half-drawn line into
the sky. I squinted
through the roaring
smoke to grasp them,
but the drones kept
swallowing their words.
I stitched the poem in
haste, then signed my
name in the margins of
dust, and suffocated
beneath the weight of
silence.

Let the Children of Gaza Live

As dusk falls, their grandmother will sit by the Anemone,
Summoning them to form a circle and engage in conversation.
The thyme and teapot will be theirs, as always.
At night, they will sleep peacefully, free from the fear of random bombardment.
In their dreams, they will see themselves as doctors, professors, and teachers.
They will sketch, plan, travel, and perhaps soar in their dreams.
Nightmares will find no place.
Oh, world, pause for a moment.
Let the children of Gaza live.
Let the children discern the hues and shapes of life.
Allow them to savor life.
Wait just a moment, world.
See the children of Gaza.
See their tears and worries.
Do not shatter their wings.
Let them fly.
Wait just a moment, world.
Let wishes come true.
Let wishes come true.

Lubna Ahmed is a Palestinian student who lives in the Gaza Strip. She likes to write in English, and is passionate about writing poetry. “I pray to God day and night that I can become a memorable poet, because I want to be remembered for having done something good in my life,” she says. She aspires to become a translator and dreams of earning a master’s degree at a university in Britain.

Artwork by Sohail Salem.