Poems.

• Author: Abu-Rabi, Ibrahim M.
• Position: Poem

Poems. Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi' ONLY THROUGH YOUR LOVE CAN WE SURVIVE [September 17, 2001] To the children who lost their parents in the tragic attacks on USA on 9/11/2001 I fix my gaze on your eyes, Trying to fathom the depth of your anguish And the extent of your pain. When your parents kissed you goodbye that morning It never crossed your minds that you would never meet again; Buried under the rubble, the bodies of your loved ones Have dotted our emotional landscape And have made you closer to our hearts than ever. Your pain has thrown us into the unspoken pain of the millions Of suffering children around the world, JUST like you. We feel as though our raison d'etre, foundation, and identity, Has been shattered beyond belief However, your beautiful and sad eyes give us A glimmer of light, hope, and anchor; We tread the path of agony, this time, not alone, But in unison with you; We surrender ourselves completely to you, You have become our guide, just like the SAGE in Dante's Divine Comedy; You have become our teachers, giving us lessons in love, Humility, and compassion; We see on the horizons the beginnings of a new dawn; We see your compassionate smile Taking us by the hand in the new darkness Surrounding the world. Your proximity to us has made life meaningful again. Yes, we will overcome this tragedy together; Yes, we will overcome it together with the suffering children of the world When? We do not know! The world seems to be poised on creating More suffering for children like you But We are sure that one day we will overcome; We are sure that one day your smile will melt down all the anger And hatred of this world. TO THE CHILDREN OF AFGHANISTAN [November 30, 2001] Thousands of children and orphans are roaming The rugged mountains of Afghanistan Moving so fast but going nowhere The last time they saw the sky was before Bombs began to shower the earth Smoke and pollution have made them introspective Pondering the inner soul of humanity Looking for answer for their never-ending plight Where to hide from the bombs And where to hide from the sins of the world? In a freezing night in the Hindu-Kush mountains I glimpse the eyes of these wanderers by night SEARCHING FOR FOOD And praying that no more bombs would fall on their heads I feel the pain of your stomachs And I become ashamed of our affluence We have made you poorer than before And expunged you from our conscience. Yet, every day we talk about the virtues of our civilization You are...