I sought to adhere to set of rules laid out
by society;
to discern essentials with the help of naked eye,
just so I could howl along,
they called to me, but I wonder,
now as the moon competes with the sun,
how to tell if the system’s rotten?
How to tell between consensus and chili peppers,
knowing, both, peel the same way?
The answer, of course, lies somewhere
at the end of it, heaving, and bobbing for air—
it accommodates itself to our interests,
flattening its sides,
as a chattering of choughs go overhead,
as though bits of burnt
paper smudging a clear blue sky;
theirs is the only voice that protests, that cries,
while the rest are stunned,
they believe they are in heaven—
not a single fraction of their formerly untainted
selves remaining.
And now a clattering of jackdaws joins the scene;
blending with
grasses, with bamboo
and bulrushes in hue of a sombre afternoon,
as if understanding this feeling,
some days it mocks us,
and other days, it lets us speak the truth,
to voice our concerns,
I am holding them, still moist from the pen.
The bold soul of a Poet can seduce one into
silent submission,
can fuse dream into reality as a scold of jays
observe from a distance,
as bonfires green smolder without comment,
we will no longer stand corruption,
no longer stain our lips with silence—
now that we have come to comprehend; now
that we have come to comprehend,
as one-way traffic,
as loose confetti, falling ash and murder of crows—
you can either opt to join or be swept away
by the tide; the choice is yours.
#PTI🇵🇰 #IMRANKHAN, #LONGMARCH, #REVOLUTION
Photo credits: Joseph Zbukvic Watercolor Painting, Pinterest
Ingrid is our host at dVerse where she invites us to try our hand
at Corvid Poetry. Come join us! ❤️
Posted for Poetics: Corvid Poetry @dVerse Poets Pub
All those wonderful corvids! I’m hopeful that people are seeing corruption now. It’s harder to hide.
Thank you so much, Sarah 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Yes.. this is splendid, and if we can find the corruption and pick it clean like the carrion birds do with the bones what is rotten may be gone.
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
A lovely piece, the light words belying the dark subject.
Thank you so much, Christopher 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
I love the way you invoke and evoke the corvids, but this line stood out to me because it’s such an unusual comparison: “How to tell between consensus and chili peppers,
knowing, both, peel the same way?”
I hope that the situation improves where you are. It seems like it is getting scary everywhere right now.
I hope so too! Thank you so much, Merril 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Fantastic! Gritty and filled with truth.
Thank you so much, Misky 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Excellent and timely poetry with a powerful message, Sanaa!
Thank you so much, Ingrid 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
I admire how you used the big groupings (I only managed 1) Sanaa. Love these amazing lines:
And now a clattering of jackdaws joins the scene;
blending with
grasses, with bamboo
and bulrushes in hue of a sombre afternoon,
Thank you so much, Grace 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
The intensity of this pulls the reader right in.
Thank you so much, Ken 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Such strength in your words. If we would only listen to the birds…
Thank you so much, Kerfe 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
Excellent poem Sanaa, and I love “as a chattering of choughs go overhead, as though bits of burnt paper smudging a clear blue sky”. Such a strong image!
Thank you so much, Rob 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
“How to tell between consensus and chili peppers,
knowing, both, peel the same way?”
Here i paused to savour. Poetry at its best
Nice one Sanaa
Much💛love
Thank you so much, Gillena 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Much love back..
A beautiful poem Sanaa. There comes a time to stand against corruption, so life can move on hopefully toward the future!
Thank you so much, Dwight 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
Felt like a clarion call, Sanaa. The word is crumbling and it is indeed on us if we can sip our coffee and shut our mouth or say and do something about it.
how to tell if the system’s rotten?
How to tell between consensus and chili peppers,
knowing, both, peel the same way?
these lines are gems.
Thank you so much, Rosemarie 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
A call to action. Makes me want to spread my own wings and caw loudly. I enjoyed your words and the pairing with the painting.
Thank you so much, K. Hartless 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Beautifully done 🙂
❤️❤️❤️
This is a wonderful summation of what’s happening politically in Pakistan and a fine call to action, Sanaa! My mom is glued to the Pakistani news and I catch it in the mornings when I can, I can’t believe how they’ve ousted Imran Khan after all the good he’s done! I hope he gets reinstated although it looks so 50/50 right now.
Adore the whole poem, especially the second and final stanza, the repetition, the line “no longer stain our lips with silence” <3
Aww gosh! Thank you so much, Sunra 😀 so glad you liked it! 💄❤️
Reading this through the lens of yesterday’s horror, it feels so apt. We can “no longer stain our lips with silence.” This contains a rage, and an understanding, and maybe, a solution for us all to “either opt to join or be swept away by the tide”
Thank you so much, Alexandra 🙂 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
A wonderful poem, Sanaa – corruption can never be fought with silence.
Thank you so much, Marion 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
powerful poetry with a great summation of the corruption that seems so prevalent at this time!
I too was drawn by “as a chattering of choughs go overhead, as though bits of burnt paper smudging a clear blue sky” … such a vivid image
Thank you so much, Kate 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
A very timely verse, Sanaa. Powerful and stellar writing. ❤️
Thank you so much, Punam 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
This is wonderful. So many vivid images.
Thank you so much, Kate 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
challenging corruption is indeed a bold task – like this poem ~
Thank you so much, M 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️