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...

UNWEBBED With cool dew waking up the drowsy woods, Dazed by the perfume of jasmines divine, Amidst a lush labyrinth of lilting leaves, Lies a flimsy dwelling of glassy white. Eight fingers crawl between the latticed blinds Expanding their fortress, conquering woods, Circling, ensnaring the innocent fly, Trapped within blades of the hypnotic web. Pleased with her might, tarantella performed, A commanding glory, to her is due - But a little songbird comes bolting through, The fortress vanquished, dauntlessly it flew. Credulous be that flies to traps and death, With wide wings, rather soar to challenge threats. - Maryam Kaleem

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...

A WARRIOR IN OBSCURITY Bold and brave I had pretended to be, Stepping onto the winding road, now doomed. A well of youthful arrogance in me, Brushing away all the terrors that loomed. Brandishing mighty swords for Honour's sake, With scholars and saints, befriending Wisdom. Peace with one, war with another I'd make, Thus all hailed the guardian of the kingdom! Now I lay weak and old, my pride shattered. Now I stare into the Void - blinded, maimed. Now I am forgotten, a voice unheard. Now I am no more the spirit untamed. Give this wearied soul a sip of Lethe, Deliver me from vile senility! - Maryam Kaleem

FOR PEACE Let there be stillness and serenity Let there be a fight against affliction, Let solemnity and thoughtfulness be Surrounded by a time for reflection. Where bodies and minds are engulfed in war, When innocent words remain unspoken, Faithful servants are afraid of the law, No! Is this the world we hoped to live in? Everyday villains are celebrated As great heroes to flocks of mindless sheep. Mocking, slandering, furious, livid, Selling freedom if your pockets run deep. Guns. Tanks. Bombs. Buildings sundered piece by piece. Amidst the noise, one voice - Let there be peace. - 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...