(Salamz everyone! Before I  start, I wanna warn all my Arabic readers out there that I'm a terrible speller, especially in Arabic, so bear with me! :D And enjoy!) 

مسكت يدي مندون ان تسأل

She grabbed my hands without asking

و جلستني على الارض  

And she sat me on the ground

و سألتي في صوتٍ حنونً مثل العسل

And she asked me with a voice as sweet as honey

هل تسمعين قصه؟

Would you like to hear a story?

So I nodded without hesitation, unprepared for her recitation.

كان يا مكان في قديم الزمان 

Once upon a time, a long time ago

There was a girl named Salma.

Salma lived with her Mama and Baba 

And her older brother Taha.

And the ruler of the land was an evil, evil man.

He waged war against his own people, 

Whom just wanted a helping hand. 

And one day a strange creature

Clad in black and green,

Took Baba away,

Never again to be seen. 

Salma and her family became hungry.

All they wanted was some bread

But they could find none in between the stench of unburied dead. 

قتلهم

He has killed them. 

                                                                              *Switch*

The young girl grasped my fingers tighter like I was a fleeting illusion.

The story she told played scenes of unseen terror in her eyes.

Yet her face still firmly held a smile.

                                                                              *Switch*

Salma watched as monsters handcuffed her brother.

Their gaping mouths spat foul language,

And Taha warned her:

stay strong. Stay Strong. STAY Strong. STAY STR-

And they shot him in front of her.

Her mama's tears could have filled rivers.

If only her tears could have fertilized the soil and regrown the memories of what Syria once was.

                                                                            *Switch*

I felt a stray tear escape my eyes as I tried to contain myself.

"Who told you this story?" 

She simply smiled and shook her head.

And continued on instead.

                                                                           *Switch*

It wasn't long before they took Salma's mama.

أمي,أمي!

Mother, Mommy!

The camouflaged monsters took her mama away

Took her into the mosque where they prayed everyday

Put her in front of the speaker for all to hear

How they beat and raped her as she screamed in fear. 

Salma was left alone in this world. 

She felt like Alice in Syria.

Except the Queen was Bashar Al-Assad

And the cards were his soldiers

And this nightmare was refusing to end. 

                                                                                   *Switch*

تركت يدي مندون ان تسأل

She let go of my hands without asking

And as she turned I noticed her tattered clothing. 

و على رقبتها سنسالٌ من الذهب

And on her neck was a necklace of gold.

و على السنسال كلمةً في الغة العربية الجميلة

And on her necklace was a word written in the intricate patterns of the beautiful Arabic language:

سلمى

Salma.