To
Be a Lebanese
I am Lebanese and there is nothing I wouldn’t do
to protect my country.
I will ally myself with the devil if that is what
it takes.
Free birds fly over my country so I try to shoot
them down.
Let my neighbor see that I have a gun and know how
to use it.
No worries about the birds, they serve their
purpose so I don’t bother picking up the ones I shoot down, let the dogs eat
them. Such is my arrogance.
As a stranger you might see the beauty of my land.
You might also see how much of this beauty I have
destroyed. From the cut down trees on the mountains, to polluted beaches and
dried up lakes and rivers. No matter, nature always fills up my lakes and new
trees will grow. Such is my faith.
I have survived under many conquerors, under each
one for hundreds of years or just a few months. I throw rice in celebration of
their conquest and secretly wish for their downfall. I will wait for them to
leave or fight them off eternally. As long as I survive it doesn’t matter who
ruled me before. Such is my patience.
I am Lebanese. They say I am not mature, they say
my freedom will paralyze me. No matter, I still want to be free. My mother gave
me life and life gave me misfortune, but I will prevail over all conquerors big
or small.
I am now free, I can now fly but the sky is no
longer high. My wings are heavy with the tolls of history. In my struggle to
become free I showed my full strength and that is what they all fear.
I am Lebanese I can conquer the world but not
through fear.
I am Lebanese I know how to love and live in
peace. So if you come to disturb my peace you will only sink in my sands. You
will slowly see my love turn into hate and the peace, which you have come to
steal, the peace turn into fury. Such is my irony.
I am Lebanese: if you love me one, I love you ten.
But if you hate me and wish I were gone, there is
no end to the fury you will see.
Samer Nasrallah
Independent Guy.
