#06: For I Couldn’t Leave The Place I Was Born In…

For I Couldn’t Leave The Place I Was Born In…

By: Syed Umar Shams Shah.

(“Narration” by a lonely aged-tree)

 

Out of a window,

When I leapt out;

I saw such a world,

Had never seen before.

Mine was a journey –

From darkness to light.

My root was in and my shoot was out.

I was happy as never before.

Among my kin, I grew and grew…

A happy journey it was indeed;

So ecstatic, so delightful!

With clouds up above

And water beneath;

With gushing winds and sunny days –

I passed my days as never before.

But once a while,

I saw a predator;

Weapon in his hand

Shadow of death trailing…

He killed my kin;

Dragged them,

Tore them,

Chopped and drove away…

Frightened as ever, terror struck me –

Since I was so young!

It was a sight seen never before.

Haunting it was though,

I had to be at peace –

For I couldn’t leave the place I was born in.

I had to be there,

No room to escape.

But I went on losing my friends.

Every time they came,

Terror would loom large.

They would loot and plunder us.

Tore us out of the ground.

And we went on losing not just our home,

But our kinfolk at large.

Agonizing it was, but had to bear.

My begging went unheard –

“Don’t plunder us, Yours we are;

Your beneficence do we seek.”

Deaf they were,

Numb hearts they possessed.

Cruel their dealings,

They themselves didn’t forsake…

The show went on till everything was lost.

Now I am,

The lone old man

Amidst the dark clouds of sufferings.

Gone are the days

When the sun shone bright;

Gone are the days,

When the clouds brought rain:

No water up above,

No moisture beneath:

For heat has taken a toll on us.

I am dying,

I am crying.

But Lo! Behold!

I’m not suffering alone.

My tormentors also got their share.

They are desperate,

They are helpless,

They are frustrated;

Frantically searching for remedies:

Their preys have gone missing,

Only because of them.

Their fruitless endeavors have come to an end.

I am dying the death of my own,

But they’ll have to bear more pain.

They’ll have to cry for the rain.

And they’ll say one day –

“Yes, we didn’t care,

Yes, we didn’t spare,

Yes, we have to bear…”

(Originally written in August, 2010)

Picture only meant for representation and does not belong to the author.