Touching my skin the sky sheds both tears
and blood
as world around me is punctuated by ash.
We are never able to forget, not really anyway
tell me what would you do
if you woke up one morning to find everything that you ever loved was below
the ground?
Tell me what use is prejudice
if a child is left mourning in the heat of the midday sun?
Believe me
when I say pain has no definition when it comes to bearing a casket.
Drowning is quiet
as mind digests and slips further and further
into the darkness,
how many more lives until we realize hatred is not the answer?
I encapsulate a world filled with nothing
a future where even the wind knows not its name,
unless
we step up and strive together to bring about a change
Look into my eyes
can you see fresh hurt welling up inside?
Feel the pounding of my heart
can you feel its longing for balance and justice?
This Spring,
come let us offer a prayer as fluid as rain,
until twilight revokes the return of bitterness of hours before
somebody once asked me, “why do you care so much?”
To this I am replying with a poem
I found out what it’s like to be without hope a long time ago.
Photo credits: Free HD Wallpapers
#prayerforchristchurch
Posted for Tuesday Platform @ Real Toads
& Posted on Open Link Night @ dVerse Pub
come let us offer a prayer as fluid as rain,
until twilight revokes the return of bitterness of hours
A heartfelt plea for understanding and forgiveness in the bitter rain of human affairs.
Truly the darkest day in New Zealand 🇦🇺 and the entire world 🙁 Thank you so much for your kind words, Kerry 🌹
A lovely poem about a dark day
Thank you so much, Toni 🙂 so good to see you ❤️
Often there are certain lines of yours that pierce my heart. The last line of this one has done it again.
Thank you so much, Timoteo 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤️
We all need to care so much for without caring and action nothing will change. I hear the pain in this poem, and I share it. I love the closing stanza with its hope for prayer gentle as spring rain.
Thank you so much, Sherry 🙂 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
You’ve written a beautiful poem about a terrible tragedy, Sanaa, and asked powerful questions:
‘Tell me what use is prejudice
if a child is left mourning in the heat of the midday sun?’
and
‘how many more lives until we realize hatred is not the answer?’
I especially love the final stanza and the ‘prayer as fluid as rain’.
Thank you so much, Kim 🙂 so good to see you ❤️
This dirge resounds with the hurt and the pain with its intensity resulting from such anguish and despair — a tragedy like this has repercussions far beyond its knowledge or scope. Every day, hatred is being normalized and it becomes difficult to keep hope alive in such times. It takes spirits to take a stand and to say all that you have said with such sensitivity and empathy here. I am reminded of these lines from Agha Shahid Ali: “My book’s been burned? Send me the ashes, so I can say:/I’ve been sent the phoenix in a coffin of light.//From History tears learn a slanted understanding/of the human face torn by blood’s bulletin of light.”
Beautifully done, Sanaa!
Awwww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Anmol 🙂 so glad you liked it! ❤️
Sometimes I wonder so much how someone can be so filled with hatred… how it’s even possible to act like that… and so chilling to understand how it builds… but I also feel I hate the murderer, so I wonder why I think he is worth it.
Definitely 🙁 thanks for stopping by, Bjorn ❤️
I thought I had commented earlier. Either way, *hugs* It’s horrific what’s going on in the world.
*big hugs*❤️ Lord have mercy upon us all!
True empathy would fix so many problems, perhaps all our problems. Because I believe what your last line suggests, if those who cause the hurt could feel the pain of their victims on their own flesh, they might stop being so monstrous.
This one digs deep, Sanaa.
Thank you so much, Magaly 🙂 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
Unless the world is brave enough to point a finger at the real problem. it will keep manifesting in horribly tragic ways. And innocents get caught in the web of lies and hate.
Definitely 🙁 thanks for stopping by, Rajani ❤️
Such a prayer as fluid as this poem, deeply grieving, welling deeply from the heart.
Thank you so much, Brendan 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤️
a future where even the wind knows not its name,
unless we step up and strive together to bring about a change
Life is such that one has always to initiate but regretfully not able to see the beauty of making the first move. Beautiful write Sanaa!
Hank
Definitely 🙁 thanks for stopping by, Hank ❤️
Such an ache was felt while reading this: “Believe me
when I say pain has no definition when it comes to bearing a casket.”
Your poem A Global Plea that I pray is felt by every one <3
Amen! ❤️ Thank you so much, Jade 🙂 so glad the poem resonated with you! ❤️
You had me at /a future where even the wind knows not its name/. A wonderful and strong plea for compassion, sanity and equity in a world in the grips of chaotic populism, fascism, and nationalism. I love your plea for peace. Yes, let’s all decide that THIS will be the Spring of Healing. Trump and Brexit will be brought down, and, cooler and caring heads will prevail.
Awww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Glenn 😀 so glad you liked it! ❤️
Such a tragedy in NZ and I applaud the country for quickly banning assault weapons. Love the offer of the prayer for everyone.
Thank you so much, Grace 🙂 so good to see you ❤️
We should ALL care so much and these atrocities would happen no more. Poignant write!
Definitely 🙂 thanks for stopping by, Beverly ❤️
Powerful peace. A poet must always care.
Absolutely ❤️ Thank you so much, V.J 🙂 so good to see you ❤️
Oh my. How well you have captured the pain of the tragic, insane attacks in Christchurch. I rate this as your best poem ever.
Awwww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Victoria 🙂 so glad you liked it! ❤️
Your poem is filled with deep sorrow and emotion that only love can heal. The hate and division can only destroy as you say all that we know is good! Very well written~
Thank you so much, Dwight 🙂 so good to see you ❤️
Like this phrase: “can you feel its longing for balance and justice”
Thank you so much, Sabio 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤️
Sanaa – you wrote this piece with compassion and I can feel the plea for peace. I worry about the world and it’s changing views. I can barely watch the news anymore it grieves me so.
These words will stay with me, we all know how it feels to lose a loved one and that casket of pain can be unbearable.
Believe me
when I say pain has no definition when it comes to bearing a casket.
Thank you so much, Truedessa 🙂 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
Nice last line about hope.
Thank you so much, Frank 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤️
A poignant meditation on the sad state of the world.
Thank you so much, Kerfe 🙂 so good to see you ❤️
A very touching piece, and I am glad you wrote it out as a poem, because its saddening when we feel like our hope and faith extended are questioned.
Thank you so much, Oloriel 🙂 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
This was a very engaging read, and that last verse is haunting Sanaa, well written
Thank you so much, Rob 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤️
These mass-homicide-suicide things bother me because although they’re blamed on all kinds of different things in the troubled souls’ recent past lives (they were bullied, they were bullies, they were new mothers, they were childless, they were left-wingers, they were right-wingers, they were lonely, they were popular, they had guns, they didn’t have guns so used something even deadlier) they *do* fit one common pattern that some people have, verifiably, spent money to discourage the commercial media reporting. Some people get an urge to kill as many other people as possible and then typically commit or attempt suicide as the result of using certain drugs. Some of those drugs are legal prescription medications. Lilly Pharmaceutical Corp wants us to notice everything but that common factor.
Definitely 🙁 thanks for stopping by, Priscilla ❤️
one can never care too much. we are made of vessels to garner as much caring and love as possible while residing in this world of humankind. many philosophers have tried to make sense of our existence but even without understanding the intrinsic nature of our being we must know that we are part of all therefore we must embrace all that resembles life. we must choose to love ‘…as fluid as rain’
Absolutely 🙂 thanks for stopping by, Marcoantonio ❤️