Once Upon A Time, I Lived In Heaven
By Nahida the Exiled Palestinian
17 June, 2012
Uprooted Palestinian
Once upon a time
When I was a little girl
My dreams were wild and colourful
Just like my hair
Like all boys and girls
I grew inside a rose
When I was a little girl
I played around
Floating over waterlilies
Bouncing in the shadow of poppies
Hiding under garden leaves
and in my grandma's shawl
Gathering stars
Thumbelina I was called, by my fairy friends
Who often hovered around the hills of Beit Iksa, where angels dwell
Chasing lilac footsteps of my fairy friends
Fluttering my wings,
I flew up up and away
To the high peak of Nabi Samuel
Up there
Close to Heaven
Overwhelmed with the magic of our existence
Astounded by our awareness
Full of adoration
We all fall down
Faces to the ground
Praying
Praising the One who bestowed upon us
The wondrous gift of life
At twilight, I made my way down
rolling in a cylinder can
Heading to the home of my grandfather
Under a blanket of sacredness
Little children gathered
Hearts pounding
Eyes open wide
Listening to my grandfather stories
Of men, women and children
With lives of purity
And hearts of gold
In the stillness of the night
We could hear the echo of prophets chanting
Issa, Musa and Muhammed
Hymning psalms of Dawoud
Praying side by side
Enchanted by the grace of Maryam and her son
Bewildered by tales of Yunus, Yahya and Suleiman
We closed our eyes
Slipping into wilderness of dreamland
Where kindness grow on trees
Goodness covers the ground
And love falls from sky
Tantalizing, jut like rain
Colourful words echoed around
YES . . .
Once upon a time
I lived in HEAVEN
Nostalgic, I recall
Nahida is a Jerusalem-born Palestinian refugee living in exile for over 42 years. She was forced to leave her homeland, Palestine at the age of seven during the six-day war. She is a mathematician by profession. She has published two books- I Believe in Miracles, and Palestine, The True Story. Email: [email protected]
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