It was a very hot day
The sun was shining on me as if I had committed a major sin
I heard them say it was fifty degrees,
What is fifty degrees?
Didn’t know but sure sounded scary
There died seventy people in my community,
And here I was out in the heat in search of a bit of bread
Hadn’t eaten anything for a few days
But what could I have done,
After all, I had a little innocent sister and a mother to look after
I had no energy
Felt so horrible, felt so hated, felt like a piece of dust in the street
But I continued to search,
For there laid infinite eternal energy in me
With no shoes on my feet,
it felt like walking on fire
Having to pass through the restaurant,
I defeated my control over hunger.
Having to listen to the man with no feelings, a hatred in his face,
Smashed me even more.
Having to pull something that weighed ten times heavier than me,
Dropped me to the ground
Like a thirsty tiger being burned in the deserts
Or like one who only had a few breaths to live.
But I continued
For I knew there awaits a mother with pride
A little girl
With high hopes and an empty stomach
Her innocence, her patience, her moon-like face
With all this in mind
I arose and gained strength like a tornado does, when it passes through a hot surface.
So I continued to work all day.
After working that never-ending day, which
Seemed more like judgment day
Or the day closest to my death
I earned 40 precious Afghanis
With 20 I bought a few naans
With 10 I bought onions
With 10 I bought yogurt
With my heart bursting with excitement,
I reached home.
When my angel saw naan in my hand,
She smiled
Exactly what I lived for
Exactly what I dreamed of
So I opened my arms, and she ran into them like the wind
And all the pain I went through
Vanished
Disappeared
Evaporated into the air
And then seeing pride in mom’s eyes
Encouraged me to live once again
Encouraged me to fight millions of battles like today
Encouraged me continue tomorrow.