|
Details |
Samuel John Poem
Wings spread out, the sun in its face, a scavenger set out hunting,
Looking for anything it could find to satisfy its hunger;
Down below a little boy lay, barely alive, hardly breathing,
His battered face turned towards the lifeless body of his father.
The ground around him once dusty and dry,
Now wet with the blood of this innocent child…
Death hovered over him, lingering, waiting, watching;
Time slowed down, the child blinked – and then never opened his eyes.
A hundred flies quenched their thirst, the blood now pooled beside them.
The vulture circled overhead, now joined by his friends,
The table was set, their lunch was served,
For the little boy and his father it was a gruesome end!
Victims of a war, not that among nations…
Rather a war of the human spirit, twisted by false ideals
Humans killing humans in the name of religion;
Blinded by hate, fuelled by intolerance, humanity’s dark side revealed.
The vultures and flies enjoy their fill,
While we whisper a prayer for those lost souls;
What will it take to stop this madness?
What will it take to heal this world?
(A tribute to the lives lost in the recent religious conflicts)
Copyright © Samuel John | Year Posted 2014
|
Details |
Samuel John Poem
He crouches behind a false wall…hoping, praying,
Listening carefully to the commotion outside.
A knock on the door, another, two more!
They kick the door in and storm inside.
Men with rifles, boys with guns,
Searching, preying, abducting, killing,
They turn over the table and kick over a few chairs,
As they search every nook and corner of the building.
Finding nothing they eventually leave,
He heaves a sigh of relief
He looks at his wife, tears streaming down her face,
They nod in agreement, it is time to leave.
As night draws near, they sneak outside,
Scanning the place for the infidels.
He carries a rucksack, it’s all that they have,
A few clothes, some photos and some medicine.
She follows along, her son in her arms,
They make their way to the sea shore;
They stop in their tracks, their hearts skips a beat…
A gunshot, another, two more!
A man walks towards them, a gun in his hand,
They kneel, he comes in a little closer;
He asks where they are going, they don’t say a word
The child starts crying, they think it’s all over.
Then the man asks them to follow him,
They stand up and do as they are told.
He takes them to a place where there stands a boat,
He takes all their money and asks them to get aboard.
A few hours later, the silence breaks...
A scream, another, two more!
The boat is sinking they jump in the water,
Their life-jackets barely keep them afloat.
A woman beside them struggles to swim,
He takes off his life-jacket and gives it to her,
He asks his family to keep on swimming,
He promises to meet them on the shore.
Later that day she waits on the beach,
A body washes up, another, two more!
She cries as she hugs her dear little boy,
He should be proud, his dad was a hero.
They turn and start walking towards the city
Refugees, aliens, total unknowns;
Some strangers walk up to help them
A new friend, another, two more.
-I wrote this poem based on the true stories of refugees, that have been highlighted on the Facebook page, "Humans Of New York". I want to dedicate this to all those going through the current refugee crisis. Our prayers are with you.
Copyright © Samuel John | Year Posted 2015
|
Details |
Samuel John Poem
They said I was chosen, one in a million
Part of an elite few, the men among children
Chosen to leave everything behind for education,
Engineering students, the pride of the nation!
Four years of hard work and determination,
Came close to failure, arrears, termination;
Dreams shattered, spirits broken, total annihilation;
New goals, new beginnings, rose up, rejuvenation.
Attended classes, learned stuff, ultimately forgot it
Placement time we revised, made up stuff, they bought it
Now we are placed and getting ready to face the world
We overcame; we conquered; we are Engineers!
Copyright © Samuel John | Year Posted 2012
|
Details |
Samuel John Poem
Dark clouds loomed overhead...
White flowers lay there on her grave,
Raindrops started falling and people scurried,
I just stood still and tried to be brave.
For the tears they were welling up inside,
Like a dam about to give way;
My hands were quivering, my lips were dry,
The colour from my face was drained.
I walked up to the mound of wreaths,
A single tear rolled down my cheek.
I set myself down on one knee...
The dam burst, I began to weep.
If only I had told her how much I loved her!
If only I hadn’t fought with her every day!
I just wanted to tell her I was sorry...
I just wanted to make it all okay.
She had worked so hard to keep me happy,
She used to toil all day
When I was hurting she would smile and kiss me,
And make the pain go away.
When there was no money for me to go to college,
She had sold her car and paid the fees;
When I failed in my exams and had given up hope,
She had helped me get back on my feet.
All my life she was the one person
Who believed in me when no one else did;
I don’t know why I used to fight with her,
If only I hadn't screamed and shouted.
All these years she faced such hardships,
Just to make sure I had everything I wanted,
Yet instead of being grateful to my mother,
All I had shown her was anger and hatred.
Now I knelt on a dark cold rainy day,
Struggling to find words to say...
If only I could tell her I was sorry
If only I could make it all okay.
Copyright © Samuel John | Year Posted 2014
|
Details |
Samuel John Poem
Cut out from the rest, feeling so left out
I lay my head on my hands and sigh:
Why did things have to happen this way
Why is it that I was denied?
Denied the basic friendship,
A meager ounce of which could help,
To grow in thought, deed, word and spirit,
To help strengthen myself.
Why is it that I feel the need,
To sit in the corner and cry?
The cold creeps in and I’m overcome
By the darkness and void of the night.
I lift my head and open my eyes,
The tears they blur my sight,
And through hazed vision I notice a single star,
A lone beacon in the sky.
The clouds they part and a million other stars
Come out from hidden slumber;
They join with that single star to make
The glow in the night sky brighter.
Combined with the light of the great white moon,
They light up the earth below.
Their twinkle and their glimmer reflects on the pool,
Of tears lying on the floor.
Suddenly the truth hits me:
My life was playing right before me!
I realize that soon the time would come
When I would not be lonely.
That there would come a day when I wouldn’t have to weep
In self pity and dismay;
That the clouds of hate and bitterness
Would one day roll away.
That the love and friendship I duly deserve
Would fall like summer rain
Refreshing my soul and replenishing my spirit
Making me whole again.
Yet till that day I have to wait
And learn to shine on my own.
So for now I stand up and wipe away my tears;
My spirit no longer forlorn.
Copyright © Samuel John | Year Posted 2010
|
Details |
Samuel John Poem
The sun was setting against the city backdrop,
City lights started coming on one by one.
The bustling city traffic was beginning to ease,
Party animals were getting ready to have some fun.
In all, it was quite an amazing sight,
Like a painting, completed, resting on an easel;
Yet, something seemed quite out of place,
Something felt like it just didn't fit in.
For by the road, there lay a heap
Some garbage bags covered in flies,
I moved in closer and my heart just froze
I could have sworn I heard something cry!
Startled, I hunched over the heap of bags
As I looked for the source of the sound,
Nothing could have prepared me for this...
I couldn't believe what I had found!
There in the middle of that pile of filth,
Lay a beautiful baby girl!
Abandoned, hungry, unwanted, rejected
Thrown away by some ungrateful souls!
I picked up this poor little babe
And wrapped her in my jacket,
As I ran towards the nearest hospital,
Just praying that she would make it!
I sat there in the emergency room, numb,
A policeman came over to question me,
All I could think about was this little girl
Given up on by her very own family!
In the distance, electronic music filled the air,
The party animals were dancing along...
A lone street light flickered and burnt out;
The painting didn't seem significant anymore.
-Dedicated to the girl child. Female infanticide and child abandonment is real. We must work together, towards making a difference. Blatant Oblivion is not the answer.
Copyright © Samuel John | Year Posted 2015
|
Details |
Samuel John Poem
Sitting all alone on a gym bench
A half-empty glass of punch in my hand,
The lights bounced off the disco ball
On the stage was the college band.
On the dance floor guys all jumped around
While the girls just giggled and jived;
I got up and walked towards the exit,
A lone tear escaped my eye.
As I pulled the door towards me,
I turned around to take one last glance
And there she stood dressed in a sky-blue gown,
Some new guy holding her hand.
I stepped out into the empty parking lot
A cool breeze blew over my head,
My ears rang and my throat went dry
As I remembered the words she had said...
I’ll never leave you, baby I love you,
We’ll be together till the very end,
No man or situation can break us,
Together we’ll face every one of them.
But now the ghost of those words haunts me,
Just another long lost memory
I try my hardest to move right on,
But it’s hard to let go of a part of me.
I spent many sleepless nights by the fire
Trying to figure out what I had done wrong,
Mounds of cigarette ash in the ash tray
The stereo playing sad old songs;
Empty whiskey bottles on the nightstand,
Broken glass where the mirror once stood;
I thought a lot but the reason never came to me…
Why she left me I never understood.
Copyright © Samuel John | Year Posted 2012
|
Details |
Samuel John Poem
Darkness it surrounds me,
I try to look around but see nothing.
Arms stretched out I take two steps,
I panic, I trip, I'm falling!
Sitting still I try my best to listen
The sounds should guide me now;
I crawl forwards on all fours
Crashing into the wall, i cut my brow!
Just when I think it is time to give up
I see a light in the distance
It gets nearer, brighter...I'm scared;
But then her voice breaks the silence.
She reaches out and takes my hand,
The lights come on, I can see!
I was stumbling around trying to find her
But my soulmate, she found me!
Copyright © Samuel John | Year Posted 2016
|
Details |
Samuel John Poem
Like robots programmed to follow instructions,
Blinders on, looking straight ahead,
Walking along a fixed line, we keep step;
From bed to office, then office to bed.
Batteries recharged, our programme we repeat
We go on our way, no choice or free will.
Follow the leader, no questions, no doubts,
Our bodies are moving but our minds are still.
There was a time when we did dream,
Our ideas were endless, our visions were vast.
All that we gave up, just to belong,
Now our hopes are just memories floating in the past.
Robots we are, robots we’ll remain
Unless we take off these shackles and chains
Start a revolution, awaken our minds,
Just perhaps, someday, we’ll dream again.
Copyright © Samuel John | Year Posted 2017
|
Details |
Samuel John Poem
The task before me seems so tough,
I know what or who is haunting me;
The worthless words that emit their mouths,
Are supposed to be educating me!
But it’s only exasperating, irritating and dumb...
Intoxicating like ten bottles of rum.
Sleep creeps closer every single second,
Transporting me to a distant land.
Far away on a beach with my eyes closed
I lie on the sand and soak in the sun.
Listening to the sound of the crashing waves;
The sound of the teachers constant blabbering
Ruthlessly they go on and on
Like hungry lions in an arena
Throwing blows at us gladiators;
As we resist their attack, those fierce tigers bare their teeth
We spear them as they snap their jaws,
Till finally the crowd breaks out into shouts of joy.
The gladiators emerge victorious in battle
I awake from my slumber to the sound of murmuring...
The teacher has left the class,
However there is always another period lying ahead
And as it was once said,
The battle is over but the war has just begun.
Copyright © Samuel John | Year Posted 2010
|
|