Mark Ward

The second one drops , this one closer , strong metal collapsing against nearby buildings . I hear screams , people running around shouting , car engines starting , and dread , roaming our once so called safe streets . Families and houses , obliterated . Love and devotion simply vanished . Our past and future , consigned to oblivion . It was never this menacing , we never thought our lives would be filled with such desolation and despair , we never thought the vast amount of opportunities would suddenly just disappear . What saddens me the most , is the fact that we've learned to accept it , and added it to our daily life . Phone calls resulting in a funeral date, watching these sorrowful families on the news , like going to school , asking for the two absent students , and getting that horrendous answer.

My mind races as I walk my empty street , what would my life be like if I was born elsewhere , I try and remember living without worry , which is hard , because it's always had a constant reappearance in my life , I've been blessed with a loving and supportive family , and friends I would kill for . I still to this day , love the fact that some of us managed to stay in contact , and some of us managed to stick together. I've changed , and I have the current circumstances to thank for that . When you live in such a dangerous zone , you'll come to realize how strong you can be , and you'll start to find parts of yourself you never knew existed in the first place , your personality gets adjusted for the better .

You learn to appreciate what life gives you , stuff you never thought would be appreciated , like say , a warm meal , a roof over my head , a family.

I think of the people living outside of civilization , isolated , living on a small thread of life support , of one day being united in a safe haven. Kids , knowing more about bombs and bullets , then about toys and cartoons . Families , immigrating from their houses , because their homes aren't there anymore , their streets , aren't there anymore , it vanished , leaving behind pure destruction . But STILL fighting to live , STILL seeking a hope , not knowing where life will take them , not knowing if they're going to be alive to be taken in the first place.

 Happiness , where could one find such a rare creature , in a sea filled with hatred and detestation . But you'll never fail to realize , have it be in a year , 10 years , 20 years , that it was there all along , buried deep inside your nucleus , deep inside your heart.

You were never meant to have a horrible life , you were just favored to be part of another level of self-discovery .

Welcome to Syria , a country once so safe , so innocent , then later replaced with hazard , and blood baths . God , what I'd give to see myself living here 5 years ago , what I'd tell myself , the advice I would inform myself … If all of us just knew , this never would have happened . But my point doesn't come from dwelling on what happened , I don't dwell , not anymore , I've learned to accept everything , and improve what can be improved . Syria herself won't dwell on the past , because it has one bright future waiting for her , as arduous as it might seem , the path she's taking towards self-improvement will bring her to a brighter place , taking us all there with her . Syria , a treasure filled with riches , history , and one beautiful twisted past. Like I said , We were never meant to have a horrible life , we were just chosen to live life , in its worst , and in its best . A challenge , isn't that what it's always been about , we were born to face the so called obstacles , I now know , what life is about . It isn't black and white , as dark as it may seem , it doesn't result in havoc . We're born , and we die . But it is up to us to decide what path to take while in-between .