Light in the Long Night

Theme: Miracle Poems

I was raised in the shadow of war's wings, 

where light is scarce, but hope still clings.

My name is Ali

Once just a student chasing numbers,  

I scored 97.9 in the scientific stream,  

But my heart leaned toward English, 

where I found pieces of me.

Before the sky fell,  

I was softer.  

I forgave easily.  

I laughed like I’d never run out of breath.  

I offered help like it was air-free and endless.  

But genocide sharpens my soul.  

Now, I can't forgive.

I can't help when I'm the one crying for help. 

Even when I laugh,  

A quiet sorrow lingers deep within my soul.

My mother’s family owned a supermarket:

A corner full of life.  

I miss working there on ordinary days.  

But now there’s nothing to trade,  

Nothing to sell.  

I miss seeing people hurrying to work,  

Smiles blooming like morning sun.  

I miss the laughter of children  

With backpacks too big for their shoulders,  

Running toward school like it was a promise.  

Each day, Gaza bleeds.

I walk past the ruins of shops I used to know,  

A mother carrying her child  across the shattered roads,

their eyes are heavy with stories no one can tell.

Faces are filled with fear, people moving like ghosts among the rubble.

And I whisper verses-  

Carrying the Qur’an like a lighthouse through the storm.

In this long, unending night.  

It teaches me patience  

When nothing else can.

I used to walk beneath Gaza's golden light,

to wander when the sea met the sky

vendors calling, children chasing kites.

But now, the streets echo like memories of what was lost, 

and my footsteps stay behind the door.

I miss my friends

Those who crossed the border of dreams,  

Now studying abroad,  

Showing me cities lit with colors  

Those aren’t explosions.  

They tell me about libraries, parks,  

The quiet hum of normal life.  

I compare it to our streets- 

Where silence means another soul is gone.

And in the middle of this madness,  

I fight to keep my mind whole.  

I am not broken.  

Not yet.

I am stubborn like the olive trees.  

Still here.  

Still dreaming.  

Because life doesn’t wait,  

And I refuse to be left behind.

I am Ali.  

I am a miracle.