The Ones We Loved

      The sun is shining in the beautiful blue sky

      Our family’s having dinner when we hear the planes fly by

      The television reported Iraq was attacked today

      My papa looks worried and has forbidden us to play

      We have all lived together in the same house for years

      I have never seen a war so my papa helps me deal with my fears

      My mom died last year so my papa is all that’s left to love

      He is my hero that created me with help from Allah above

      The bomb blasts sound loud and appear so near

      My papa tells us to go into the basement, tells me to sit there

      My little sister and I are afraid of the war we face

      Papa told us now is the time to be brave and sit in this place

      He told me these steel poles are the strongest part of the house

      I watched my papa go upstairs while we all act quiet as a mouse

      My little sister starts to cry quietly so I hold her close to me

      I hear the front door close and I am curious to see

      Suddenly the house shakes from a terrible blast in the yard

      My sister and I are so curious but we must sit though it’s hard

      Then silence fills the air and I cry out “Papa, are you there?”

      I hear no answer from my papa and I think this is not fair

      After ten minutes we can no longer sit on the hard chair

      My papa told us to sit here but I am so curious I don’t care

      Quietly my sister and I creep up the stairs and open the door

      We look so innocent and are curious to see more

      My papa is not in the house and I wonder why

      The air smells awful and I am scared and start to cry

      I call out to papa, hear no response and I wonder why

      Tears are rolling down my face, I cry “Papa, did you die?”

      I look outside through a window and the blue sky has turned black

      I see rain falling in the air and suddenly my sister touches my back

      I jump from being scared, feeling unprepared for this war

      Smoke is being washed out of the air and I want to see more

      I can see burnt grass and a huge crater in the backyard

      Everything beautiful now looks burned and charred

      I walk outside to see the yard and I am scared

      Walking around the burned yard I feel so unprepared

      I am looking for my papa and find his body parts lying everywhere

      A burnt skin smell fills the air, his burned skin removed papa’s hair

      Smells of my dead papa make me sick to my stomach and I cry

      My little sister and I are all alone and cry “Why’d our papa have to die?”

      My sister’s body is shaking and she falls to the ground

      A bomb has fallen close by and my sister makes no sound

      She is not moving, then she cries and moans in pain

      I help her up and carry her into the house through the rain