Whispering to the Braves – Mohammad Nazif Islam

Whispering to the Braves.

They heard the story of Aladeen and Genie,
They saw them playing under Arabian lights,
A bit of mischief and lots of fun in the Arabian nights.
The Arabian nights however, now start with frights,
Wavy, sandy deserts blooming with gunpowder and might.
Millions of lies, under one big, bright, starry-spangled, dreadful midnight.

The world sounds asleep, careless about the people who bleed.
Millions were stranded over decades of strife, many lost their loved ones or their own lives.
Death comes from the sky, where iron rains and blood drains, through humanity’s cry.
Bullets thrown like confetti and crimson flows like Nile,
Mothers cry for children, corpses end up in piles.
Children cry for mother’s love and a piece of bread,
Lying under the rubble of masonry, all quiet and dead.

Fathers fight, brothers fight, fight the little girls,
Some fight with bullets beam and
Some with silent screams.
World watches, world cries, many wrapped up in hush,
Some care, some do not, no one’s in a rush.
Blood flows, land glows, but no regret or guilt,
Pyramids of Gaza continue to be built.

Corpses come in all sizes, no matter the age,
Families hold each other in dreadful mirage.
You should go look, we should go see,
How much they are shaken, from the river to the sea.

When the fateful day comes,
Before you leave, wipe their epitaphs,
Blow away the dust,
And whisper to their graves, “Freedom at last”.

Mohammad Nazif Islam
Year 12
Timaru Boys’ High School