Once upon a time,
There was a paradise.
It was on earth.
It was in Syria.
It was a haven for great civilisations.
It was a haven for Mother Nature.
It was a generous land with generous people.
It was an incubator of remarkable inventions.
It was the land where life was lived richly.
It was the theatre where love danced joyfully.
It was the place where million-year-old souls roamed freely.
It was where forests of pine trees spread their morning aroma.
It was where cyclamen flowers spread their colourful beauty, announcing spring on the coastal mountains.
It was the land of olives and flowering lemon trees.
Now,
Faded, it appears to be.
We have this brilliant paradise engraved in our hearts.
We have the seeds to create it once again.
When we die we will leave them to you.
They will grow once again when it comes time to revive.
But now, your mission is to take care of yourselves and shine brightly.
You ought to be prepared for you have another task.
It is setting our souls free to roam the paradise, joining the million-year-old souls.
By Raneem
First published in the Second Edition of ‘Beloved Syria’, 2017
