Daily Times

The old city was once alive

People gaily flocked hither and thither

Now there is a smell of death,

in the chill of the air.

Antiquity to ashes turned

The sacred landscape and its horizons,

Now inhabit a sordid state,

My solitude, my refuge

A blot of shame.

Leaders, abandon without care

Treachery in the corridors of power

Rudderless, hurled aside

We survive.

Lives cast to ashes, by whim

Too many, far too many,

We have no count,

Of precious lives lost

To a charade, nay a travesty.

Land and citizens forsaken,

It’s a game of dare,

We are miserable, still we smile

‘In this Land of the Pure’

This slogan is a mockery!

What deviant words.

We are amongst the land of the impure

Tyrants speak in tongues

Faces, masks of deceit, shrewd hypocrisy

Neighbours, brothers, sisters, slaughtered

We weep in silence or shout in despair.

Oppressors are not leaders

Worthy of compliance

We are not slaves, nor born in bondage

Leaders hide not behind arrogance

Nor take pride in being called master,

Leaders are but a guide to their people,

A humble slave.

The one who wears the crown

Has a million obligations to fulfill

To serve and protect its citizens,

Where are our leaders?

Why have we been abandoned?

In times of our needs?

Our country is sinking like a weak Ship,

Deeper and deeper

Into the pits of desolateness,

Where are our defenders?

The blue sirens of the ambulances,

Sing the tune of death

As they rush through dimly lit highways.

Leaders are worthy upholders of justice

The pulpit, should sing out

Love, unity, brotherhood

A tolerance for all.

Bigotry, poison, division are unworthy

Of a religious robe

Is Satan dancing to a gleeful tune?

A deafening silence prevails over my city,

No fog can compare to this sickening silence

Even the howls of the rabid beasts,

Cry out no more.

Every nook and cranny of my fair city,

Lies desolate to man’s inhumanity.

There is hope we will rise again,

The city will sing, its chorus of love

Lights will sparkle,

Dance will lead the walk of death,

To the pits of damnation.

The city of love,

Will love once again.

The writer is a lawyer and social activist. She is an aspiring author who loves poetry and humour. She tweets at @ammara_gul

Published in Daily Times, January 1^st 2018.