Daphne's Sweetheart

Daphne’s Sweetheart
By Jessica Marie

I see your smirk,
Pasted innocently on your freckled face,
Teeth missing, little sweat drops, cheeks red
From the hot, May Mississippi sun;
Eating watermelon for hours with Southern flare.
Life wasn’t confusing then or was it?
Sweet little boy torn by Christian and Muslim,
Accepting the word of Christ,
Then living by the Koran and Arabic tongue.
Though, you’d be baptized by the cross.

I see your smirk,
Tormented by your beliefs,
Confusion by Jesus’, Muhammad and Darwin—
Your family doesn’t make it easy, drifting apart;
Yet you’re a bright friendly teenager—
Voted most popular, head of the class
And wondering why Murrah1 was bombed:
Wishing violence would vanish from the Earth.
Turning to your savior Jesus Christ for peace;
And putting yourself in the hands of Allah.

I see your smirk,
Telling your friends and classmates
“Turn to Islam, it’s the chosen way,”
Bowing to Mecca from the flag pole
As the crowd, confused, just stares.
September 11th crashes your whole world—
A Muslim couldn’t possibly have done this
While hiding behind your traditional garb.
Changing your name, provoking response
You drop out of school and on to the Salafis2.
They guide you to your next stage of life
With a wife and baby girl left behind.

I see your smirk,
On my TV screen
As I watch your video
With the Koran in your hand,
Advising your cohorts:
“The only reason we stay away from cities
And giving up our vices and lust
Because we are waiting for the enemy—
Death to America! For jihad!”

Through your smirk,
Your army follows your orders
With the same charisma you had in school
That won you class president and a popular girl.
With your charisma and cool
You lead the deadliest terrorist group
With the biggest smile and no confusion.
We sit and watch, baffled by you—
How could a sweet little lovable boy
Turn into someone so evil as you?

Footnotes
1  The Murrah Building was bombed by Timothy McVeigh on April 19, 1995 in Oklahoma City.
2  Salaf means “ancestor” in Arabic. Salafis believe in a strict return to the fundamentals of Islam and to purge practices by modern influences.