Once upon a time, I lived in Heaven

 Nahida the exiled 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