How do I tell the world
about the courage it took
to finally run from the fire
When my own heart was burning?
How do I explain it
that the hardest thing I ever did
was to stand up for myself
while my ribs still held the ashes
of dreams I couldn’t save?
How do I show them
that the weight of a heart that chose freedom
even as it trembled with fear
the quiet bravery of leaving behind
what once felt like home,
even when the smoke clung to every part of me?
I want the world to know:
sometimes courage is not loud
it is a whisper that says go,
even when your chest aches,
even when your eyes are full of flames. Tell me, how do I make them see
that my burning heart
is not my weakness,
but the proof
that I walked through fire
and did not stay?

Salma