Children of war

The Forbidden Words

“Home is where children find safety and security, where we find our identities, where citizenship starts.” ― Matthew Desmond 25–26th February, 1991, Kuwait The sky was obscured by heavy clouds of smoke, and no daylight seeped through to give us any hope. The smoke engulfed the country. It had almost been six weeks since the…

The Correction Pen

“The real war will never get in the books.” ―Walt Whitman “What about school?” I asked my mom the night before school was supposed to start. “What if I tell you that you don’t have to go to school? Weren’t you complaining about your homework last year?” she answered cheerfully. I shrugged my shoulders and…

The Eavesdropper

“I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, Mother, what was war?” ― Eve Merriam I remember it was a Thursday morning, August 2nd, 1990, when I woke up to the hushed voices of my parents, aunts, and grandparents. Aren’t they supposed to be at work? I thought to myself. I wore…

“War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn to live together in peace by killing each other’s children.” ― Jimmy Carter, The Nobel Peace Prize Lecture On January 15th, 1991, it had almost been five months since Iraq had…