Syrians' Suffering Poem by Refai Tommas

Without a warning
Rockets started falling all morning
We soon squeezed in the bathroom
Where there was not enough room
So one has to stay in the corridor
Next to the main door
A moment later, our house shook
But we did not dare to look
We stayed where we were
Supposing the sounds came from afar
Then cries of pain were heard
Not from outside the house but from inside it
Cries that told you that death was near
It gave you a new dimension of fear
We hurried outside towards the cries
Where our brother lied
The shrapnel had pierced his heart
And we understood he had to depart
He had to go away
Far far way
Maybe it is better that way
As he will be safe there
I am sure that where he is going
There will be no shelling or bombing
No torturing or raping or killing
My brother departed this life smiling
I wish I were the one dying
The one who died struggling and fighting