Writer: Anthony Salandy
Editor: Abdallah Sobhi
Art: Anna Sidi-Yacoub
In days where scorching sun
Beams down on the scarlet road
That simmers under endless heat
Is where I found Maryam
Long before I found myself
And indeed before I found peace-
With the pain that consumed my being
Each day in the crimson walls
Of my personal hell
Where I was left to wonder just why
I must sit in search of an education
Which left me devoid of individuality,
But for everything it took
Maryam would give back to me
As if renewing a sense of peace
That I had never truly known,
But as I discovered myself
The dusty skies changed-
And so did she,
For in the sweltering coast
Of my childhood was a divine spirit
Tormented by her own pain
But still giving on to others
As each closed mind leeched-
On the pale skinned girl
Whose golden locks shrunk
And whose heart ached-
With every encounter
Deep in the high stoned walls
Of a bloody red education
Stained by repressed children.
