To Be a Lebanese

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.