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I Dreamt that I couldn't
by Sameha Omer, Toronto, Canada, Age 16

I dreamt that I couldn’t speak of my journeys
I dreamt that I couldn’t move up the stairs
I dreamt that I couldn’t sing of my happiness out loud
I dreamt that I couldn’t hear the soft, rhythmic music
I dreamt that I couldn’t smell the homemade cookies
I dreamt that I couldn’t taste the sweetness of sugarcane
I dreamt that I couldn’t see the mesmerizing sunset beyond the horizon
I dreamt that I couldn’t feel the warmth of hot cocoa
I dreamt that I couldn’t love anyone
I dreamt that I couldn’t climb up the rungs of a ladder
I dreamt that I couldn’t hang from a blossoming apple tree
I dreamt that I couldn’t touch the ripples in the water
I dreamt that I couldn’t hold up my head
I dreamt that I couldn’t run around in harmony
I dreamt that I couldn’t enter heaven
I dreamt that I couldn’t exit the ferocious fire of hell
I dreamt that I was nothing…

Then I dreamt that I was dreaming and I heard my piercing shriek as I felt the intense heat of the fire as punishment. Suddenly,
I dreamt that I couldn’t wake up
I dreamt that I was lost and lonely
I felt a jerk as something struck me with such force that my heart bled and my mind froze.
I dreamt that I was reaching out for someone to save me but no one would hold my hand
I dreamt that I was stabbed so many times that my heart, body and soul shattered into
miniscule pieces that they became nothing
I dreamt that I was so afraid that a piece of glass was stuck inside of me and that every
time I’d breath, it would move an inch closer to my heart
I dreamt that I was hated so much, that not even the sun wanted to spread a hint light onto me
I dreamt that I was hollow, hideous and frail

And I just wished, hoped, and yearned for somebody, anybody to grant me mercy
That’s when my eyes jolted open and my mouth whispered, I know
I sat up straight, still quivering, and abruptly knew that I could kneel and pray
I then knew that I was someone with a purpose in life
Realizing that, God reached out and touched my soul, giving me a second chance
And for the first time…I cried