A Little Girl Sends A Poetic Message Of Hope To Lebanon From The U.S.

A dream in a poem from someone so young can soften the frigid hearts of those who have lost hope for their country, Lebanon.

Inspired by a famous poem by American poet Langston Hughes, 11-year-old Mia Andrea instantly wrote for Lebanon, which she adores despite visiting only once.

But you see, Mia has no recollection of her trip. She was only a 1-year-old at the time. It was her loving parents who instill in their 3 little girls the love for their roots and their legacy.

“We are quite involved with the Lebanese church in Dallas,” Mia’s mother, Joyce Feghali Andrea, told The961. “The girls all dance dabke in our annual festival.”

The young poet Mia is the middle child. She is passionate about reading and writing – so much that she’s even a published author and poet, her mother informed us. “She takes after her maternal grandmother, Asmahane Feghali, who was an avid poet.”

“[Mia] loves Lebanon and dreams of a better Lebanon without even knowing it, just by listening to our stories, her grandparent’s stories, the news, and reading,” said Joyce.

One time, she even crocheted a Lebanese flag for her grandfather on his birthday.

“I am proud of her love for Lebanon and her pride from being there from afar,” she expressed.

And so, as an assignment for English class, Mia let the words flow to her like magic, allowing her to express her deepest wishes for the country she knew only in her heart.

It is so lovely and inspiring that it materializes as a message of hope for the people of Lebanon. Her dream expressed in her poem is the very dream of every Lebanese today.

She wrote:

I Dream a World where there is no war in Lebanon
And where there are water and food to spare.

I Dream a World where music can be heard wherever you walk in the village,
and the smell of fresh pita bread wafts through every open window.

I Dream a World where people dance outside of their homes and sing
“Rajeh Yataamar Lebnan” joyfully together.

I Dream a World where COVID-19 does not take so many lives in Lebanon
and people go to visit family and friends.

I Dream a World where pans cling and clang,
while people prepare plenty of pies filled with spinach and meat.

I Dream a World where there is electricity in people’s homes and businesses;
electricity as bright as the sparkling waves of the Mediterranean.

I Dream a World where families go and visit the
snow-peaked mountains of Lebanon,
where their spirits are birds.

I Dream a World where kids of different religions and ethnicities play together
as a reminder of hope for the next generation.

I Dream a World where Lebanon smiles brightly and proudly,
and she shines with beauty like the people who call her home.

The Children of Lebanon, wherever they are, have emerged as the strongest source of hope for the country living in nightmarish circumstances. Young voices rising here and there to remind us that hope is not lost and that prevailing is a must.