Afflicted Afghanistan

Like nations many, at Central South Asian seam, With its roots in the Paleolithic time stream; Home of cultures, habitats, and martial movements, Lounge of Arab, Muslim, British, Greek amusements... Empires many, like spiders, yearned to spin in; Failed! On this graveyard of states, like cruise of pride, it sailed; Through tempests, there were Taliban-tornados too, Like bones in flesh, these turned, Afghan's unending woe... Hospice of faiths like Zoroastrianism grew, Great Islam, yet, like an umpire, sharp whistles blew; Resurgences, like monsoon rains, showered and tried, Goondaism, like winter-sun, its nature did hide... Like vampires, bloodthirsty; powers ever to gain, Inflicting Afghanistan, never-ending pain; Traps of Taliban, hidden, grew long hate-stretching, Provinces fell free in their hands fast, fear-fetching... Afghan, like day's dew, turns the Islam Emirates, Ethics... morals, like thieves or thugs, exit the gates; Intruder hounds enjoy the game like wild hunting, Citizens, emptied, exist like footballs, punting... Curses of drought, flood, pandemic, and betrayals, Innocents, like born debtors, suffer defrayals. Let's not blame God or heaven or kismet or fate, The cause of human fall is the human hate-skate. Power-mongers, like leeches, suck blood and strive, thrive, Powerless, like wrecked vessels, will ever survive? Afghan, to the world nations, is a large lesson: Tyranny, like Taliban, is troublous treason! 28 August 2021 Afghanistan Poetry Contest Sponsored by: Kai Michael Neumann