Not In The Name Of God.

It's been a while but here's my latest poem.
This poem is based off the Peshawar attach which took place on 16th Dec 2015 (Link:http://time.com/3646246/peshawar-pakistan-taliban-students-school-attack/) .I feel like it's become a trend nowadays where self proclaimed religious groups do terrorist activities in the name of religion & God. This poem actually hits home for me. And just like it's one's responsibility to defend one's family, one's honour, in the same way I feel like it's my moral obligation to defend my religion in the most civil and peaceful way possible. 

It was just another Tuesday,

Nothing special, nothing great,

Started off as just another day,

Ended off with a disturbed fate.

Was sitting in class, it was the third lecture,

A loud blast and lots of screaming,

Within seconds the whole scene turned into a different picture,

Now crouched beneath my desk I lay silently weeping.

I saw my friend under another desk,

Shaking with fear, his face so red,

Could clearly hear the sound of footsteps,

As I saw those big black boots I will never forget.

“In the name of God”, you screamed out loud,

The sound of cries, the smell of blood and burning flesh,

As you mercilessly fired multiple bullet rounds,

I acted dead when you came upon me to check.

I open my eyes as I realize I’m sitting on my bed,

It’s been so many days but I still can’t get over it,

That scene is engraved in my head,

But “In the name of God” is what I just can’t forget.

My religion is peace,

My God never wants bloodshed,

Clearly you didn’t believe in this,

If you would then you would never hurt innocents.

My God tells me to treat everyone equally,

To even escort an enemy to safety,

To not hurt a bird or animal or even a tree,

And to choose for others what I choose for me.

I thought we come from the same place,

I thought you believed in peace too, but obviously you did not,

You were a completely different case,

Under the skin of a human was a monstrous bigot.

You praised God as you did deeds of the devil,

This won’t take you to Paradise you’re only falling deeper in hell,

Being under some sort of satanic spell,

All you really care about is your agenda and your cartel.

You make a mockery of the verses and scriptures,

It’s not about a particular attire and few Arabic words,

This faith is much much deeper,

Unlike yours which is broken and blurred.

Patience and tolerance is what makes a true believer,

Cause no harm to your family, friends and even your neighbours,

Feed the hungry even if it’s just one supper,

Treat the orphan in a respectful and righteous manner.

People are of two kinds,

Either brothers in faith or equals in humanity,

You cannot interpret without having the context in mind.

You will be answerable for all your criminality.

Knowledge is placed on such a high pedestal,

That even the first word revealed was ‘Read’,

So how can this religion command you to kill,

You could get the answer yourself if you actually bother to read.

Killing young blood is only done by cowards,

By low self-esteemed weak little men,

Whatever your justification murder will always be murder,

Forget about Muslim you’re not even human.

-Yusra.Shaikh

My Name Is Jamal

I got inspired for this poem from the kid in this video:-LINK-http://www.upworthy.com/a-news-team-risked-their-lives-to-uncover-this-story-they-wanted-you-to-see-the-horror-yourself-2?c=reccon1So I highly recommend you to watch the video before proceeding to read the poem. Also the reason I chose the name 'Jamal' is because Jamal in Arabic language means 'beautiful', and I feel this kid is beautiful not solely by appearance but actually the work he is doing is what truly makes him beautiful and brave. I really feel inspired by his patience and maturity. 

The sound of sirens fills the night air,

Another casualty on its way,

As the stretchers are pulled out and relatives pulled away,

We get to work, no time to stare.

Fourteen, Twenty-four, Fifty-four years old,

Seem like just numbers without names or souls,

We try to be numb as we try to be bold,

The pain is so much that we cannot hold.

Screaming, wailing, praying,

As the names are called out of the departed,

You may have not seen a people so unguarded, unprotected,

As they stand before the lifeless bodies helplessly mourning.

This same scene I witness every day,

The same story just different faces,

I work here in this place,

Wearing an oversized white coat I start my day.

I’m twelve but I have a job to hold,

The place where I live everybody works,

Not by choice but by circumstance,

Each one here plays an important role.

If once a while someone is alive,

We try our best to keep them so,

We fall short of medical aid though,

As the injured are more than the supplies.

Where I should be going to school,

Laugh and play with other kids,

Here I am tending people with special needs,

Here I stand playing with medical tools.

We don’t know how long will it be,

In fear each night we close our eyes,

Wondering if we’ll get to see the next sunrise,

A few wake up while others are put to a permanent sleep.

This may sound like fiction to many,

Like something out of a book,

I wish this was a movie to speak the truth,

My name is Jamal and this is my real life story.

We make peace not wars,

We do unto others better than what was done to us,

We are not heroes we are just survivors,

We wish for you just what we wish for us.

I believe everything ends and all evil falls,

Nothing lasts forever, nothing stays,

With faith and hope we will continue to pray,

May God make it stop and May God comfort all.

-Yusra.Shaikh

                                                                        

One Last Look.

Some words which were not spoken,

Some promises which were not fulfilled,

Some relations left unbroken,

Yet some hands which are no longer held.

All set and standing by the door,

I take one last look inside,

That familiar house with the checkered floor,

The slideshow of memories starts in my mind.

Here it was where the stories began,

Here it was where a lot was learnt,

With you in it my world was never the same,

You could make me laugh till it hurt.

Reading each other’s thoughts,

Completing each other’s sentences,

Our talks which only we understood,

Our coded eye signals and our weird coincidences.

Riding under the sun,

The wind blowing through our hair,

On the same dusty roads we would have fun,

The same way for so many years, everyday.

We were two girls but our life was just one,

I lived in yours and you lived in mine,

I think we were by destiny joined,

Together brighter than the sun we’d shine.

Those moments, those events,

The days that passed by,

The most treasured, will never be forgotten,

Even after I say goodbye.

Finally I look away with tear shielded eyes,

Shut the door and the turn the lock in,

Looking up towards the sky,

I pray that someday we’ll meet again.

I blink away the tears as I try to smile,

In a better place, in a better time,

By God’s will we’ll meet again,

It’ll be just you and me like old times.

-Yusra.Shaikh