Land Lost

LAND LOST

Where green blends with orange

And merges into the very land,

Where vast expanses of fertile plains

Salute the mellow sun at dawn!

To this union of emeralds set in gold I pledge my heart.

Where orange skies burst with glee

Showering mercy, extending joy

To the young flowers plated with gold below -

A festival of summer suited for the gods!

To this abundance of colour I pledge my heart.

Where verdant gardens leap forth with madness

In tune with the music of the summer palaces

Whose domes once echoed with haunting rhythms of the mystic.

The earth engulfed in song!

To this pious melody I pledge my heart.

Where towering mountains shield the colours within,

Their white caps melting into silver streams,

That help bleed the red into the green -

A sight stolen from the gardens of Paradise!

To this divine canvas I pledge my heart.

But,

The sun now burns the land with a deep grudge,

Piercing the hearts of the gardens that no more sing,

Piercing the streams that no more water the land,

Dead lie the flowers that once waited for gods,

All now is barren,

Dust with a force rises from the dead earth below,

Striking clenched teeth and eyes narrowed with hate,

Blinding all those who cross its path

Into a wild celebration of insanity;

While I stand here - alone, helpless, gaping.

- Maryam Shaikh