A land born with fruit variation,
Plant diversity, and religious richness.
Rocky snow joked with early spring sky.
City of the Sun, a 5-star welcoming heart.
A land by a bright-eyed sea after qayloulah. *
The beauty of tides, a glow of silvery tantour. **
Marine lullabies laden with sleepy tunes.
The glory of ancient centuries well-buried
In history books filled with hard-bitten pages.
A land of demilune, the unification of people.
A land of laughs, the sound of peace.
A land wedded to guns and tanks;
Shores tear-infested, glades grenade-lit.
Smell of blood in-between the pines.
Sky armed with skydiving bombs.
A land with wannabe Paris blown to pieces.
Dawns tinted by price explosions. Dusks riddled
With hungry bellies. Cedars crippled in well-fed
Minefields. Dreams of gossamer: Butterflies
Gossamer-winged and pinned in memory books.
A land of divorce, the lyrics of hatred.
A land of suffering, the strains of a slow death.
* Arabic word qayloulah: afternoon nap
** Tantour: Cone-shaped women’s headdress