As part of the Writers Matter program, teachers from about twenty schools around Israel wrote and shared their writing together. The following piece is called “Finding Light in the Darkness”, and comes from Shatha, from Ort Ma’alot High School.
Finding Light in the Darkness
I wish that a lot of my life was fictional.
Where war is a forgotten myth and happiness is an achievable dream.
Where I don’t hate my army husband’s job or loathe the time we are forced apart.
I wish that a lot of my life was a fantasy story, where I am the protagonist, picking daisies in a field and not waiting for the sounding of death knells and the beckoning of ruin.
But,
I live in the real world.
Where the sound of him coming home is like a soft caress on my heart.
And despite the weariness on his face and the feel of his sinking cheeks in my hands, he is healthy and whole.
I live in the real world.
Where I wonder if it was the right choice to be pregnant at a time like this.
Where all I think about is the guilt I would have if my daughter is angry at me for bringing her to a world where hate and violence is the language we speak.
Where all I thought about is having a piece of him if anything went awry.
Because I want to see his nose, and his lips and his eyes. His thick charcoal lashes and his wit and laughter.
I want to see them on her face, in her features, when I look at her. When I hear her voice.
I live in the real world, you see.
I live in the real world.
Where, despite the darkness, we need to look for the light.
Where his laughter, his voice, his smell are what bring me comfort.
Where waiting 8 long years to hear the words “congrats, you’re having a baby girl” is what brings tears to my eyes.
Where anticipating being a mom and a dad overrules what feels like a ticking of a clock.
We live in the real world.
Where light should always be found, even in the darkest of days.
Debate for Peace 