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Youcef Belhaoues Poem
It was supposed to be an ordinary day,
And I couldn’t have it any other way.
I kissed my mother goodbye with her smile so sublime.
I didn’t know it would be for the last time.
That evening was sweet with my dear friends around me,
Bright and breezy in such a pleasant company.
The music and the mood uplifted my spirits so high
I felt I could just spread my wings and fly.
I was young and free, though decent and sensible,
And strived to make my ways so respectable.
But so abrupt was my young life taken away
By the hands of men disturbed in their evil display.
With such noise, fury, fear and pain,
Life was looked down in wicked disdain.
In quest of arms and shoulders to grieve and cry,
Our family and friends kept asking the question why.
All that is left is the enduring memory
Of a young heart with a noble destiny.
But don’t let broken promises and unheard laughter
Be the sign of your life to live forever.
Remember me as being grateful, honest and happy,
And we’ll all cherish our bonds through eternity.
Time will go by with no birthdays or Christmas wishes
We used to share with mummy’s lovely dishes.
Please carry on living and loving as I watch over you,
From above with the angels watching with affection too.
The time will come when we see each other again,
And eternally stand as the unbreakable golden chain.
We’ll share the smiles, the laughter and the tears of joy
And you’ll reminisce all about your favourite boy.
We’ll forget the sadness, the pain and the fears
And you’ll finally dry the few remaining tears.
Though short and broken, you made my life cheerful,
Now seek to make yours content and peaceful.
I was gone too soon, but not alone nor afraid.
For my demise you cried and for my soul you prayed.
I am still in your hearts, so seek to cry no more,
For you will stay in mine, just like you’ve been before.
So, when you look up in the sky, by day or by night
Care to disregard the dark and you will see the light.
Copyright © Youcef Belhaoues | Year Posted 2016
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Youcef Belhaoues Poem
When hard rain falls, I am grateful for a shelter
When deceit shows its face, I aim for a strike
When darkness takes over light, I wish for an early dawn
When greed forces its ways, I pray for redemption
When suffering transpires, I strive to understand
When the sun shines, it’s one blessing down
When virtues prevail, renewal comes closer
When domestic bliss defeats hardship, the dearest befit the nearest
When the weak are protected, the strong perform their duty
When change reveals its dignity, pride becomes virtue
When I am grateful for a shelter, I start counting my blessings
When I aim for a strike, I ensure renewal is the reason
When I wish for an early dawn, it’s for my dearest to be my nearest
When I pray for redemption, I make my strength be my duty
When I strive to understand, I make this virtue my pride.
Copyright © Youcef Belhaoues | Year Posted 2016
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Youcef Belhaoues Poem
When bored with a humdrum way,
I think about this happy day
When we went laughing up and down
The magpie streets of Dublin town.
Then it seemed our feet had wings,
Oh the many lovely things
We shared and talked of, you and I
Underneath the Dublin sky.
Through the old town we went,
So young, so joyful, so innocent.
With our friendship at its prime,
That was once upon a time.
I recall this moment in days of old
When we were so candid yet so bold
With faith afire and heart aglow.
But that, my friend, was long ago.
Those days are gone, but I remember when
You and I promised to meet again.
And while different our lives may have grown,
You are still a friend I can call my own.
Copyright © Youcef Belhaoues | Year Posted 2016
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Youcef Belhaoues Poem
It smells like rusted metal
That no longer keeps the boat afloat
On a river infested with dead fish
Whose rancid scent clogs your nose
It sounds like the galling squawk of crows
Plundering the spacious corn field
Their proud squeal resonating in a sketchy land
Your ears left to create their own hush
It lives in a murky well with muddy walls
With only the darkness of its own demise
To show the way of its sinister life
Promising enduring anguish to the weak
It eats the flesh and drinks the blood
From the vigorous but tainted heart
And leaves behind worms that will breed
And consume the rotting carcass
It gives an ugly voice to the wicked
Telling stories ending in shame
Uncovering the disfigured face
Of what was once honor and pride
It follows the deserted road set in darkness
Taken only by the lost and the miserable
At war alongside the dark side within
An Armageddon to fight alone in the shadows
It is the child of the corrupt, the spawn of the dishonest
Born to be punished, its last breath breeding freedom
The inner shift and clash fading away through the light
Replaced by the wholesome spirit, redeemed by faith and peace
Copyright © Youcef Belhaoues | Year Posted 2018
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Youcef Belhaoues Poem
I left a world darkened by injustice and human absurdities
That caused in the hearts of so many so many uncertainties.
I heard “Never again” so many times, so much in vain.
Will we ever be able to cease fire and ease the pain?
I left a world gone mad, with poor choices mended too late.
How small were some minds in charge of the world’s fate?
I needed to believe in a happy place, with my faith in the balance.
Discontent caught me unawares but finally made me take a stance.
I left a world in chaos, with reason and peace left to a happy few,
Thinking, around this upsetting state of things, “That is my cue”.
One can only wonder how the common man can bear it all,
When the only way out seems to be humanity’s likely fall.
I left a world in disarray, with doubt and fear in control
Of the hearts of a crowd in search of a communal soul.
Let it all be, you hear, and it will come to its due place.
How long before we see our kind show a prouder face?
I left this world in shame, itself fallen prey to prejudice and bigotry
And still fighting the demons seen before on the dark side of history.
Despite enlightened spirits willing to inspire those ready to believe
In a better place, remain those for whom peace is hard to conceive.
I left this world in distress, touched by every possible trouble and sorrow,
With humanity left to wish for a peaceful today and a greater tomorrow.
So many times innocence has died in the name of some foolish ideology,
Instead of being given the chance to mature in shared joy and harmony.
I left a world in confusion, lost in the many roads leading to inequity,
When the haves and have nots are growing ever so deep into disparity.
Is there a place, you ask, where riches are measured by decent morals,
Where peoples and nations are lifted by worthy goals and noble ideals?
I left this world hopeful, in spite of the mess caused by ignorance and fear.
Faith still lingers, compelled to boldly wash away every unnecessary tear.
And as I found my place up there, now standing with those who left before me,
You’ll find your place down here if you still care to hold your neighbour’s hand.
Copyright © Youcef Belhaoues | Year Posted 2018
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Youcef Belhaoues Poem
Whatever the future holds for me,
Whatever I make myself to be,
Whoever I find to trust and care
Whoever answers my last prayer,
Whenever the time has come to yield
Whenever reason and sense are sealed
However the story tells the last page
However the curtain falls on the stage
Wherever the voice guides my way
Wherever it leads me to go or stay
Whichever emotion has borne our kinship
Whichever spirit inspires our friendship
My memories of you won't have to be
About someone who has missed or lost me
...Ever
Copyright © Youcef Belhaoues | Year Posted 2016
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Youcef Belhaoues Poem
Why Waste?
Why waste the wind when it blows?
Why waste the water when it flows?
Why waste the fire when it glows?
Why waste the earth when it grows?
Why waste the body when it grows?
Why waste the mind when it glows?
Why waste the spirit when it flows?
Why waste the heart when it blows?
Why waste the self when it blows?
Why waste the bond when it flows?
Why waste the passion when it glows?
Why waste the love when it grows?
Why waste the gift when it grows?
Why waste the wisdom when it glows?
Why waste the time when it flows?
Why waste the power when it blows?
Why waste?
Copyright © Youcef Belhaoues | Year Posted 2016
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Youcef Belhaoues Poem
The Eleventh Day of September
I had cherished the dream of walking up and down the endless lanes and avenues
Of a city celebrated for its illustrious and peaceful intensity and universal fame.
The images still vivid in the memories of my young mind trying to escape the blues
Of a dreary life and seeking adventure in a distant land renowned for its name.
The sun was rising on a quiet morning, until the blast thundered through the sky.
The first of twin towers was struck, and so were many hearts and many minds.
So awful was the sight and so dreadful was the sound of what happened so high
That the world stopped and wondered what came to humanity of so many kinds.
A fiery ball engulfed a fragment of an illustrious skyline, then sadly removed,
But sent countless to an early demise, leaving families and friends to grieve.
Time would reveal shady reasons for this tragedy but this calamity twice proved
That, until meaning is found, the heartbreak would offer no truthful reprieve.
The unfathomable insanity could not be understood, but only recognized in the pain.
The turmoil that ensued left many to mourn, cry and pray for a better tomorrow.
The suffering was much to bear but the fondest memories would not be kept in vain.
So far yet so close are the ones gone too soon, leaving behind a world of sorrow.
The visions of terror had the tolerant soul shudder with a vast sense of powerlessness
And feel compassion when the fire, the ruins and the smoke left a hole in the heart.
Though the early departure would design an endless path to confusion, hurt and sadness,
One could find comfort in the vision of kindred spirits no longer being so far apart.
One could decide that serenity may be a fine and required way to the vital peace inside
And live again when the world around seems to crumble to a never-ending folly.
Heed the exploits the City’s heroes accomplished and all the care they strove to provide
Without letting fear hinder their actions but gathering their courage so splendidly.
Years have passed but let us not forget that the love shared and spread lingers and lives on
In the hearts of those who hold sacred the memory of the fallen and let us remember.
The lives we lost then are still a part of us today and their souls to a better place have gone.
New York City became our home in the early hours of the eleventh day of September.
Copyright © Youcef Belhaoues | Year Posted 2021
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