Syrian Clown - Anas Al Basha -A Tribute! Poem by Bernedita Rosinha Pinto

I would have chosen to be there
just like you, to make children laugh
amidst their tears of pain;
little kids never know what is pain
they can never express
what they exactly feel
sometimes they may point out
to a tooth or the forehead if it aches,
but the pains of war, how can they know
how can they express the agony they feel
except by tears thro' their eyes or wails
as those sounds of bombs and explosions
instill a fear in children of innocence
whether they are awake or asleep
whether they are on a playground or in bed.
And as you were there making them
smile and laugh, perhaps even sing;
you were their angel amidst those
dark moments of life, comforting them
making them happy through the gloom;
your concern so paramount
that in the action of cheering them up
you died so young;
how much of courage you must have
invested and displayed to be there
in those times of war and cross-fire,
your own courage sent you
in the arms of God to rest and be.
While sympathy and sorrow will fill the air
when everyone around will know
you are not there anymore
those children will keep asking
where is their colorful clown
who changed their tears into smiles.
And though life was before you
to unfold each new day,
you chose to sacrifice your time
not expecting your end to come too soon.
Salute to you, salute to you
for those joyful moments you shared
with those orphaned children,
may God give you peace
and help you forget the war
which you dared not to abandon or flee
but waited to enable children to see laughter
amidst the heavy shelling and bombardment.