I don't care if they start rumors.
I don't care if they think it's a lie.
I don't care that we're not perfect.
I don't care about those other guys.
I don't care if we got haters,
And I don't care if they multiply.
There's only one thing I care about,
And that's you and I.

They say "home is where the heart is"
Does that make me heartless...

Poverty is just a word.
Until life gives it meaning.

Oh Mama...
How did you get through all the drama
That was brought into your life
Before you we're even a mother or a wife

Oh Mama...
How did you manage to handle the pain
No one could've made it through all that
Without going insane

Oh Mama...
How did you carry us on your back
As bomb carriers filled the sky
Shielding us from disaster
As the innocent ones die

Oh Mama...
How did you manage to survive all them wars
All those children that died
Five of them yours

Oh Mama...
How did you leave your life behind
To start over in a new country
Away from your own kind

Oh Mama...
How did you keep love in your heart
When life was at its worst
And regardless of what happened
You always put us first

Oh Mama...
How did you get past the ignorant ones
The ones who were blind to your scars
The ones who couldn't see
That you've made it so far

Oh Mama...*
How will I ever repay you
It would take nine lifetimes
To simply say "Thank You".

Your age does not define you.
Your race does not define you.
Your gender does not define you.
Your religion does not define you.
Your color does not define you.
Your past does not define you.
YOU define yourself.

I will be patient
I will be kind
I will gain
My peace of mind

I will not judge
I will not cheat
I will live
A life complete

I will be happy
I will be serene
I will keep a heart
So pure, so clean

I will accomplish
I will strive
I will persevere  
I will thrive

I will be impartial
To all mankind
I will gain
My peace of mind

Baba tucks me into bed & I ask him to read me a story.
He tells me tales of foxes & rabbits,
Each one ending in glory.
I dream of baby bunnies with cotton tails & cottage houses,
Sneaky wolves with evil plans,
Being deceived by mouses.

Baba tucks me into bed & kisses my forehead goodnight.
We exchange our “I Love You’s” as he turns off the light.
I dream of my new school & wonder if the kids will like me,
Maybe if I pretend to be sick, Baba won’t have to take me.

I yell out to Baba “goodnight!” before closing my room door.
His footsteps keep me up at night,
Till 2 am, 3 am, 4…
I want to tell him that I’m concerned for his health,
That I love him & so much more.

I tuck Baba into bed & kiss his forehead goodnight,
Telling him tales of better days, before turning off the light…

I was taught to never speak to boys, to avoid them completely, in order to obtain a clean reputation.

When in reality, I will eventually end up sleeping next to one for the rest of my life.

I was taught to never raise my voice, that a girl should always be quiet and respectful to others.

When in reality, I never learned how to stand up for myself.

I was taught that parents always knew what's best.

When in reality, I question their decisions everyday, wishing I had taken more control of my life growing up.

I was taught many things that I find to be far from real.

Each lesson emerging to me from beneath the false truth.

But I was also taught many ideas that still stand with me today.

I was taught to feel beautiful in my own skin.

I was taught to always be grateful, regardless of my status.

I was taught to love, to share, to understand, to care.

And it's lessons like these that have guided me through the darkest tunnels of life.

We say that times have changed
Yet the issues in the news
Remain the same
Three Muslims shot
Over a "parking dispute"
Yet the media news
Can't get to the root
Of the hateful crime
Committed by a brute
Too busy reviewing
Fifty Shades of Grey
While unjust crimes
Are carried out everyday

And why do we let ISIS
Receive so much fame?
And why is it that every
Muslim is to blame?
Associating a belief
With violence and terror
But it is among us
Where you'll find the true error

Using religious excuses
To **** off God's creations
Manufactured missiles
Sweeping entire nations
Thousands dead
With nothing left to gain
And those who survive
Are left with terminal pain

Seeing tears in the eyes of a mother
Her son buried deep
By the prejudice of another

How far will we go
Until we see the wrongdoings?
Cuz once a life is gone...
There is no undoing

Segregating humans
By religion, ***, and race
My beliefs may be different
But I am no disgrace

We classify ourselves
With things like melanin
As if our destiny
Is determined by our skin

Ignorance causing our vision to be impaired
Can't accept the unusual
Cuz we're too scared
Too scared of the truth
So we hide behind lies
Too scared of being left out
So we wear a disguise
Morphing ourselves
Into what is accepted
Turning into clones
Fear of being rejected

But it's time to wake up
Time to accept
The difference in our land
Time to end
The suffrage that is at hand
Time to unite ourselves as one
Time to put down the weapons
And put away your gun
So join me now
To spread the love
And to silence the hate
Our world may not be perfect
But it's never too late.

I wish I wasn't shy
I wish I could be myself
I wish they could see
I'm just like everyone else

I wish I could share my thoughts
I wish I could speak my mind
But the harder I try
The more my tongue is twined

I wish I was transparent
So people could see
That the wall I put up
Is just for security.

I come off as distant
I come off as aloof
But take a look in my heart
And you will find proof.

I am no different than you.

She prepares her kit
To turn into someone else
She's done this for years
Not knowing how to be herself

She smears her lips
With a bright bold Mac
Drawing an artificial smile
Hoping she wont crack

She grabs her eyeliner
And traces her eyes
As strokes of mascara
Send lashes toward the sky

She dips herself in powder
And draws two circles for blush
She irons her natural hair
With every bristle and brush

With this new mask on
She could now face the world
Yet I still wonder
Will I ever meet the real side of this girl?

Tried to focus
But you invaded my head
Memories flooding in my mind
So I wrote this poem instead
Because you are my love
And you deserve the best
Begging through forceful lunches and dinners
Longing for the back breaking beds
Sun pouring through dusty windows
Sneaking out when they never let
Elevated on high roof tops
You are more than what they said
Daily visits to the Lulu market
There wasn't a thing I didn't get
Warm nights at the Khalifa park
Watching the joyful kids scream
The illuminating soccer stadium
Glowing on the faces of a determined team
The sun blazing on my skin
The stray cats with pleading eyes
The dust dancing with the wind
Twisting and turning in the blue sky
Suitcases filled with memories
As I stepped onto the plane
Hoping for another visit
My precious Bahrain.

Welcome to America
Where they call it the home of the brave
While millions of Americans are working as slaves
Barely passing the minimum wage
As the government gives out food stamps to put out the rage
They check out our mailbox
They listen to our phone calls
They'd do anything to throw us
Back where we came from
Like a pack of animals
Like we're fresh out the zoo
While millions of citizens walk around
Without a fucken clue
About what the government is able to do

Welcome to America
Where they call themselves the land of the free
While 47 million people struggle with poverty
They got more food banks than schools
More negative media on the news
Names like Jamal, Raheem, Abdul
Can't get through an airport in peace
"Zainab Mustafa, Come with us please"
They look at my fam and think they got us all down
Like all immigrants are the same
Like we're all fucken clowns
Got the cops pulling me over for no **** reason
***** looks from left and right
As if I committed treason

They treat us like ebola
Like we're a fucken disease
Anything to get us to leave
No matter what we do,
It will never appease

As if Columbus was the first to walk this land
Not the people with painted faces and feathered bands
Have y'all forgotten the first people here were brown
not white?
Talking about freedom of speech
Like they own the bill of rights
The irony of the first amendment
Freedom of religion
Yet they've still condemned it
To practice anything other than their own
Expecting church to be attended
Expecting us to forget what we've known
"You're in America now! The past doesn't matter!"
I'm not here to fit in
Or kiss someone's *** to flatter

Welcome to America
Once known as Freedonia
Where the cities never sleep
Diagnosed with insomnia
As homeless shelters are packed
And crackheads fill the streets
As government officials lay on Egyptian cotton sheets

Welcome to America
Where there is no war
Where we watch your every move
And predict what's in store
Anything we can do to reassure
A more secure nation
Even if it means cleaning up these immigrant abominations
So have a wonderful stay
In our lovely USA

You stole a piece of my pie
That one hot summer day
The harder I tried to ****** it
You ate it right away

You made fun of my forehead
That one cool afternoon
Your eyes lit up with laughter
I swear, you can be such a goon

You leaned in for a kiss
That one vivid morning
I was surprised to see you
As the kind to be adoring

You spilled out your feelings
That one intense sunset
Our shadows merging into one
An infinite silhouette

You stole a piece of my heart
That one moonlit night
I didn't try to ****** it back
It all seemed just right

I walked away from you
That one frosty day
I left behind a piece of me
And now I've become astray

You stole a piece of my pie
And a piece of my heart
My world has come crashing down
It's tearing me apart

I hate* how easily you can make me smile
And I hate how it only lasts for a while
I hate the warm feeling that invades my heart
Every time you take something simple and turn it into art
For seeing through your eyes was a privilege from the start

I hate how I laugh at every joke you say
And the loneliness that kills me whenever you're away

I hate how easily you climbed over the wall that I spent years to make
And I hate how your crooked smile has left my heart to ache

I hate the dreams that I dream for us
And how they'll never come true
And I hate how I can never be able to share any of them
With you

I hate how you bring out a new side of me
The way you make me feel
So young, wild, and free

I hate how I get excited over the simplest "hello"
And I hate that I love you...
Cuz I gotta let you go.

Once upon a time
There were smiles and laughter
Once upon a time,
I believed we’d be together
From here on and after

Once upon a time,
There was crying and tears
Once upon a time
Thinking of you
Scared away my fears

Once upon a time
I held onto you tight
Like a cane to a blind man
You were my sight

Looking back on it now
It’s been so long
I wish I knew what had gone wrong…

Sacrifices:
Letting go of something in a crisis
Giving us her everything no matter what the price is
And we demanded and we cried
And she gave and she tried
She carried us on her back
When the snow was four feet high
Ashes falling to the ground
Smoke intoxicating the sky
Like the last leaf of autumn
Her hope was still hanging on
While we dragged and crawled
Trying to barely move along
Hiding out the struggle of food, money, and shelter
Away from her beloved kids so we never had felt her
Agonized pain and destruction
Don't give up...
She whispered goodnight
Crying herself to sleep
Praying things will be alright
But you could still hear the sorrow
Seeping through the walls
It's the first thing we'll wake up to
If we even wake up at all.

I look back at the past
When we were in love
I really thought we'd last
I thought we'd make it past
Past all the bumps in the road
Past all the **** people spoke
our way.

Anyway,
If anyone should've asked
I would've responded right away
"He is the one. Forever he will stay"

I glance at the pillow beside me
Awakened for a new day
That pillow which lingers of your smell
Where your head would gently lay
As you wrapped your arms around me
Washing all of life's troubles away

But I knew our love was lethal
We were deadly.
We were toxic
Our love was out of this world
We were magic.
We were cosmic
We drained each other for all we had
We were selfish.
We were ironic
To love someone and leave them with nothing.
That which is tragic.

They say time heals all wounds
I could've spent a lifetime
Mourning over you
And for a while I was numb
My heart felt nothing
I was nothing.

But I've finally learned to feel again
To glance at the sky and smile
But I'd do it all over again
If it means having you around for a while.

You never fail to put a smile on my face
And when I'm next to you
I wouldn't wanna be in another place
I know you think that I don't know what I'm saying
But just know that I mean it, and I'm not playing

You make my stomach flip, like a roller coaster that'll never drop
And every time we kiss, its like we're making time stop

Those big, goofy ears
That **** side smile
It's everything about you
Your walk, your talk, your style

Those morning texts with a bunch of hearts
Couldn't think of a better way for my day to start

I'm down for you, but are you down to ride?
Just say the word, and I'll be the Bonnie to your Clyde
I want you to be here, right by my side
Cuz that's the only place where I don't have to hide

The way you turn me on with the simple things you do
And the happiness you've given me
If only you knew...
And it scares me cuz it all seems too good to be true
But it's all worth it every time you call me your boo

I never thought I could admit it
But I really just want you...♥

To my mother and father for protecting me with their wings
In all kinds of storms.
And for filling me with courage
To have wings of my own.

Forgive me for being human
Forgive me for making mistakes
Forgive me for growing up
And doing whatever it takes
To learn about this world
And set my mind free
No one can be trapped like this
So please forgive me

If I had a dollar for every time I saw Mama cry
I wouldn't be asking you for money all the time
And you lived your whole life with a bunch of lies
And I stay up late at night
Praying that you'd come home to apologize
But then I realize
Why should I even care?
It's hard to imagine that you were ever there
Cuz you've been gone for so long
And what you did to us was so wrong
Long nights waiting by the phone
In hopes that you would come back home
And the next day the doorbell finally rang
I open it only to find you wearing a wedding ring
Yeah...
Thanks for the invite
A wedding photo without your own family
What a sight
And what a fight
Well, what did you expect?
That we'd take you in our arms
Like your decisions were correct?
Kinda hard to keep positive
With your constant disrespect
Drilling holes behind our back
I guess now the ship is wrecked
And how will we keep sailing
When the captain ain't even on deck?
And yeah...
Sure you got everything you need
But no matter how much you beg and plead
You can never be forgiven
For the pain Mama has been in
Why can't you stop for once and listen?
Listen to the sorrow she hides inside
Do you hear it?
Cuz I hear it every night
When you left, you took a piece of our hearts
And now it's tearing us all apart
I wish I could rewind right to the start
When there wasn't an emptiness in your room
When I'd look at the clock and know you're coming home soon
Do I hate you for all that you've done?
How could I...when you're my mothers son?
So I guess I have to love you
But right now,
I don't even know you.

All arguments begin
With a misunderstanding
People not taking the time
To understand each other
The lack of empathy can
Start the simplest conflicts
Like a fight with a sibling
But it can also start
World wide situations
Such as a war
If people took the time
To understand others
And see their point of view
There would be less arguments
Less misunderstandings
Less conflicts
Less disagreements
Less wars…

We said
It won't stop
But it's too late
I pressed the brakes
Threw away
Everything we gained
With all at stake
Out the window
No more crying
No more pain
All that we knew
All our beliefs
Tossed em out the trash
For my own relief
Yet I'm the one
Filled with sorrow at night
Rereading the letter
Thought I was making things right
How long will it take
To accept the end?
How will I view us
As just friends?

Bryan,
The only boy
Who had me cryin'
Tears of joy.

The only man
Who took the time
To understand
My complex mind.

The only guy
Who looked at me
From the inside out
Not the ouside in.

Bryan,
I'm sorry for lyin'
And leaving you behind
When you were nothing but kind
To a selfish girl like me
Our love was a bittersweet tragedy.

with your love
i get high
inhale
far i go
exhale
get down low
every kiss
i escalade
every hug
i climb
dont know
whats going on
losing track of time
with your love
i touch the sky
i need you babe
get me high

His love is a curse
Depressed like a gray cloud
His love is a curse
And I can't seem to escape out
His love is entangled
Strangling my heart
His love is delusional
Tearing me apart
I have the power to set myself free
But his love is so enchanting
That I simply let it be.

You changed me for the better
You changed me for the good
And as I sit and write this letter
I know I didn’t love you like I should
This is my way of thanking you for all that you’ve done
Cuz nowadays you seem to care more than anyone.
Days when you leave; I hate you.
Days when you’re gone; I miss you.
Days when I lose hope; I need you.
Everyday since we met; I’ve loved you.

I am a sidewalk made of concrete
I have been stepped on by thousands of feet
Kids use their chalk to cover me in art
Someday a bulldozer will come and tear me apart
You probably don’t even notice me…

If I had a dollar for every time I saw Mama cry
I wouldn’t be asking you for money all the time.
You lived your whole life with a bunch of lies
And I stay up late at night
Praying that you'd come home to apologize
But then I realize
Why should I even care?
It’s hard to imagine that you were even here
Cuz you’ve been gone for so long
And what you did to us was so wrong.
Sure, you got everything you need
But no matter how much you beg and plead
You can never be forgiven
For the pain Mama has been in
Why can’t you just stop for once and listen?
Listen to the sorrow that she hides inside.
Do you hear it?
Cuz I hear it every night.
When you left, you took a piece of our hearts
And now it’s tearing us all apart
I wish I could rewind right to the start
When there wasn’t emptiness in your room
When I’d look at the clock and know you're coming home soon
Do I hate you for all this?
No cuz you’re my bro and I’m your sis
And I guess I have to love you
But right now, I feel like I don’t even know you…

Sometimes it takes a little family to cheer you up.
Sometimes the simplest words can lift you up from the darkest abyss.
Sometimes all we need is love,
And sometimes we just need someone to listen.
Sometimes one friend can make a difference in our lives.
Sometimes one person can change the world.
Sometimes a few words can bring you down,
And sometimes they can turn a frown around.
Sometimes Less Is More.

The most beautiful thing is a mothers laughter
And the sparkle in her eyes
The most heartbreaking thing is
Seeing her tears roll down
As she silently cries

It's the simple things you do
That put a smile on my face,
And when I'm next to you
I wouldn't wanna be in another place.

Where are you God?
Why aren't you answering my prayers?
Where are you God?
I do what I'm supposed to do everyday
Where are you God?
If there's hope, give me a sign
Where are you God?
Please help me out
I'm running out of time
I'm calling out to you
And still no reply
Where are you God?
My faith is ready to die.

She grew up alone
Dark , Empty, and Cold
With a heart made of stone
No flame to ignite her soul.

How do I know you’re the one?
How do I know there’s no one better?
How do I know I’m done?
Is there more to these four letters?
Do you really mean all the things you say?
Do I really cross your mind everyday?
How do I know you feel the same way?
When do I really find out?
Am I all you really think about?
Cuz I’m tired of trying
And I feel like you’re lying
Cuz it’s too good to be true
So please mean it when you say
“I love you too”.

I have had regrets
I have been mistaken
It's all part of life
Always a lesson to be taken.
Like the drops of rain
Submerging a fresh seed
Growing tall and strong
The earth fulfilling its every need.

I know you’re busy
And I know you don’t have a lot of time
But I hope you take a few minutes of your life
To listen to this rhyme:

I was young and stupid and lost
But now I’m grown
And I know I gotta pay the cost
Gotta heal the scars
No matter the price
Slowly but surely
The light will shine on my heart
And melt away the ice
And I know I can’t do it alone
That’s why I need you by my side
Just like waves in the ocean
You’ll smooth out the sand with your tide
You are my doctor
You are my nurse
With your love and care
Lift away this curse
You are the moon
You are the sun
It took me a while to realize this
But now I know…
You are the one.

Yeah, I write these rhymes everyday,
But if I ever wrote about us,
I’d never have enough to say.

Time passes by
And we move forward,
But every now and then
We look back
And remember.