Choices

I choose the following:

To learn as much as possible.

To use simple words when I express my thoughts.

To be my mother’s best friend, my father’s companion.

To fall in love with my husband every day.

To remain a mother to my children, not to just settle for someone important in their paths.

To believe the dead are still living, and when they talk to me in my dreams, I choose to listen.

To believe the past for some people is the future for me.

To laugh from the heart, and savor every second.

To cry hard and long when I need to cleanse my soul.

I choose to leave you alone,

Not to force my beliefs and opinions on you.

Not to forget my origins.

Not to change my hair color.

Not to paint my nails.

Not to wear too much makeup.

Not to lie to myself and you.

I choose the time and place to spell the truth. If you force me, you will always get what you didn’t ask for.

I choose to be stubborn.

I choose to refuse my reality sometimes, and dream of a better one.

I choose to believe the dream.

I choose to live free.


Lilas Taha is a novelist, winner of the 2017 International Book Awards  and is the author of Shadows of Damascus and Bitter Almonds.