Pakistan, Why Oh Why
As I look at the land where I was born
I search far and wide for years now gone
When every waking moment was ripe with hope
When to reach for the stars all you needed was a rope
Where the days were a flurry of scenes so sweet
Where the night was just that, a time to sleep
And the dreams were filled with happy thoughts
Coming true in haste and not always sought
I remember the height of my life would be
To just lie on the beach and then swim in the sea
The sheer excitement in my face when my father showed
The train tickets to the northern peaks all snowed
Oh the soothing calm of a walk in the lane
With no thoughts or qualms or worries or pain
And the wind so kind on the body caressed
Just a gentle reminder of a land so blessed
And then one day in a blink of an eye
What I thought was mine till the day that I die
Was consumed by a fire raging hot and bright
Like a blinding flash summoning a dark endless night
And in that fleeting moment, my whole world changed
Bringing grief and sadness and a nation so drained
Deforming the way of life that we knew so well
Quoting religion falsely to have their needs propelled
And with such brutal force did the tides turn
Not just villages and towns but whole cultures were burned
Crushing love and tolerance all values in psalms
Moulding a whole new way, a new version of Islam
Preaching hatred against all, no one left to escape
Forcing a veil on life, the real teachings were draped
Fearing only the truth which could alter their fate
Using might and terror against the challengers to their faith
I look away, holding back the tears in my eyes
Wondering how a land so rich and wise
Could lose it all in such haste, such a small space in time
Why the leaders let it happen, such a heinous crime
And it dawns on me the reality of things
That there is nothing more important than what education brings
As a nation we have failed to pay our debt
Having bred illiterate fools than a country more adept
Copyright © Kashif Moosa | Year Posted 2010
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment