I don’t know why everyone<br />is still trying to find out <br />whether heaven and hell exist.<br />Why do we need more evidence?<br />They exist here on this very Earth.<br />Heaven is standing atop Mount Qasioun<br />overlooking the Damascene sights<br />with the wind carrying Qabbani’s<br />dulcet words all around you.<br />And hell is only four hours away <br />in Aleppo where children’s cries <br />drown out the explosions of mortar bombs<br />until they lose their voice,<br />their families, and their limbs.<br />Yes, hell certainly does exist<br />right now, at this moment,<br />as I pen this poem. And all we’re doing<br />to extinguish this hellfire<br />is sighing, shrugging, liking, and sharing.<br />Tell me: what exactly does that make<br />us? Are we any better than the <br />gatekeepers of hell?