Today I opened Instagram
Saw explosions first
Scrolling by
Afraid
My family is beneath the rubble
On the other side
Of that bomb
I can’t look
Because
What I find
Will prove
Once and for all
The fear I always had
That in leaving that land
In search of freedom
Without realizing
In our assimilation
We gave up
Our humanity
Because this lot
Can’t see us
Won’t see us
As human
I scroll
I see graphic designs
Images of the Iranian map
Borders and boundaries
Held
In ancient Iranian arms
Eyebrows and eyes
Piercing me
Through her ancient gaze
I scroll
Hoping that if I scroll further
I’ll see hope
Resolve
Resilience
Peace
I scroll
Sound on
I hear the voices of my people
Telling me they won’t leave
they’ll keep their routine
They must stay
They cannot go
From home away
What is home for them now?
The next voice
A woman
Talking to BBC
showing her life
Packed into a car
Sneakers in a clear plastic bag
So plain
So mundane
Her voice
Telling us
The rest of her belongings
And indeed her life
Are in the hands of God
Khodah bozorge
May she survive
May we all survive.
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