As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

by Zoulfa Katouh

“That right there,” she whispers. “I want you to hold on to that. No matter what happens, you remember that this world is more than the agony it contains. We can have happiness, Salama. Maybe it doesn’t come in a cookie-cutter format, but we will take the fragments and we will rebuild it.”

Here, life shines so strong it washes away doubt. I feel peace.

“Every lemon will bring forth a child and the lemons will never die out.”

The mothers are first to rise;

They can bomb us all they want—we’ll never bow down.”

“Syria lives in our hearts,” I whisper. “She always will.”