Learning to Breathe

BECAUSE YOU SAID, "ENJOY!" It's getting harder to enjoy the day When the neighbour's son is questioned For growing his beard, When the girl with a cloth Over her head Is mocked for having no sense Of progress, of modernity, of civilization. It's getting harder to enjoy the day When the little girl With the foreign sounding name Is the last to be picked On the cricket team, When elders warn the young, Don't say it aloud Don't send it as a message Delete everything you have When all you have is nothing. Nothing upon nothing upon nothing. It's getting harder to enjoy the day When a mob murders a man Cutting him to pieces Ecstatic in celebration, While they stay busy Studying the type of meat He was carrying, And they are still Ecstatic in celebration. It's getting harder to enjoy the day When they say They all say They have weapons Weapons to protect the land, (To guar...

FLYING VICTORY A glorious passion unknown to me, Of valour, of courage, silenced today, When a holy force plunged, battled away The scarlet monuments of history. Then unfurled the golden wings of victory And opened gates of jewels, spoils to stay, A spirit rising, flying to its sway To meet the host of godly company. Stabbed and wounded the body now remains A son, brother, father, fallen again And I complain of Time slipping away! May the banner fly as high as those wings May it envelop the world in its care And may a martyr never die in vain! - Maryam Kaleem The Battle of Mu'tah was fought in 629 AD (8th year after Hijrah), between the Muslims and the Eastern Roman Empire. The battle is remembered among Muslims for the bravery and courage of the martyrs, most notably, that of Zayd bin Haritha, Abdullah bin Rawaha and Ja'far bin Abi Talib (May Allah be pleased with them).  Ja'far lost both of his arms in b...

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 t...

Drops of sunshine pour Through a web of dewy leaves. Sweet Manna for me.

THE WINDOW The window is broken, its glass shattered. Here we are! Exposed to the Southern storm - Strong winds approaching, how will we feel warm? To be thus unsheltered, have we not erred? Why have we not seen, why have we not heard When daily preachers preach and mothers warn? The night is bitter, when will it be dawn? Yearning for Your light, why is vision blurred? Though cracked and fractured, the frame still remains. Proof that our hearts can be redressed, repaired, And hearken to You preach, counsel and warn. Lord, may the glass be restored free of stains, May the soul be upright, ready, prepared To face the wild tempest that blinds the morn! - Maryam Kaleem

VEILED VOICES The setting sun may frown and scowl at it, Arrogant, believing it's seen the world. Yet it has shone o'er the East before it, Where the journey began, where life unfurled. Black cloaks against the golden desert sand, Veiled, concealed - unmistakably human. Hearken to the voices and understand The robust, resonant power of women. Stormy tempests may maraud continents, But veils live on immortal, forever. Standing steady with growing confidence, Enlightened minds - a towering figure. The veil she wears with conscious volition Just one prayer - Long Live the Revolution! - Maryam Kaleem

This is another write-up submitted by me for an English assignment. Thought I'd upload it - since the blog has been starving since a year! Would like to know your views. IS VIOLENCE JUSTIFIED IN THE PURSUIT OF FREEDOM? Violence alone can never be justified. However, violence in the pursuit of freedom has plagued political philosophers for centuries. In every circumstance, when human rights have been denied beyond a certain extent, people have revolted violently. I believe that violence is wrong. Violence is inhuman. To take the life of an innocent victim is brutal. It is ruthless and savage. In it there is no benefit whatsoever. But then a new question arises. Freedom. There is a tipping point in all humans, beyond which, no amount of perseverance can be withstood. It is the point after which the human body and mind cannot endure the oppression any longer. In response to this injustice, torture, and persecution, violence is the last resort of the despera...