The Empire Burns

Salamaat,

I went to the Rally on Saturday in DC against the War crimes committed in the Middle East. As always the energy was amazing. It was my little man’s first time in such a powerful gathering and it was cute to watch the excitement and wonder in his eyes.

 At some point, I felt like crying, because it was really depressing to even have to be there. To gather on such tragic terms and attempt to speak truth to a deaf power.

In the aftermath I wrote the following which I am not even sure what to call it: it’s not exactly a poem, more like a long rant with some soul thrown in there.

 

The Empire Burns 

You, whose name has been writ large in the scrolls of eternity;

Etched with the blood of the oppressed multitude

the dead whose screams of terror

are still pulsating through the depths of night

gaping wounds left behind

hidden in small compact frames

of nameless

faceless

orphans

mute with boundless horror

 

You, whose paradigm is one of die and let die

waging war against all the have-nots

to build empires

of illusions and false hopes

 

You, who rules with the sole mission

of self aggrandizement

draped in cloaks of base religiosity

who wants us to believe you

care about such things as

freedom

or democracy

beyond that which will solidify

your own superfluity

 

you, whose very ascent to power violates

our consent

who is busy, so busy

passing crimes against humanity

into palatable bites intent of feeding

us scraps

to mollify our conscience

all the time

turning a blind eye

to the poor

the debt ridden

the uninsured

the homeless

wandering in your own backyard

 

You, who is relentlessly waging

vague wars

trailing bloodshed

destruction

and terror

despite our marches

our fists

our resistance

 

you dare call me a fascist?

 

You, yes you…i am not talking about no ambiguous

ever changing enemy face

i am talking to you

Bush-cheney-condy-rumsy-wolfowitz

I am talking to you

Olmert

intent on following your predecessor’s footsteps

of genocide

 

fanatic in your blind

need to cleanse the region for the

restricted comfort

of your own ethnicity

 

idiotic in your supposition

that the brutal taking

of a single soul is a thing to be trifled with

 

amnesic of your own history

bearing witness to the tenacity of the oppressed

to confront

multiply

to endure

 

because at the end of the day

whatever you may call it

that’s the human thing to do

to fight for our existence

regardless of its convenience

for the hitler of the day

 

whose trails of massacres and havoc

has evoked gasps of discord

from the entire world

 

you, who has been blind

deaf and dumb

to all forms and calls of peace

 

how dare you call me a fascist?

 

please tell me this is either your

pitiful attempt

at irony

or your idea of a foolish joke

please tell me you don’t believe for a

minute that your atrocities

will pass through the pages of history unnoticed?

 

that despite the endless

spins from your propaganda machinery

you haven’t come to believe

your own twisted

distortions?

 

with every slumbering soul that wakes up to your madness

the empire burns

 

with every voice that speaks truth

to your imperium

the empire burns

 

with every man whose lips

hold the utterance of “never again”

the empire burns

 

with every fist raised

every tear shed

with every conscience awakened

every innocent slayed

with every soul aflame

the empire burns

 

your gossamer words

will never

diffuse

the flames you set ablaze

nor assuage the haunting

spectre

of the endless meadows covered in ashes

upon whose grounds

a thousand phoenixes rise

every day

 

So Mr. president you can call

me fascist-terrorist-freedom hating-extremist-fanatic

until you are blue in the face

but under your feet

the empire continues to burn.

through the fresh Innocence of your eyes…

when the noises around me get too loud,

and my heart wearies of the endless drudgery;

adulthood constantly demands of me;

I seek shelter in the sweetness of your gaze    

                                                                   

When I can’t bear to watch the carnage of savagery

 hiding behind civilization cloaks

translating lofty words like freedom, democracy

into dead and dying bodies

 

bloodied limbs afloat shocked rivers of innocent blood

upon whose shores the name of

God

is desecrated

over and over again

for the insatiable gluttony of the few

 

when i can’t begin to voice all that i witness recoiling in horror

 at my co-opting co existence 

 the weakness that I have come to identify

nurture

and

know so well within me

 

I come to you seeking the comfort of little pleasures long forgotten

 

i hide in the shadows marveling how my heart still beats

in the excited patter of yester years

as you seek me with baited breath

knowing my excited shrill of being found

will guarantee squeals of delight

emanating from a place

so pure

 

i can’t help being arrested in perpetual awe 

 

as i watch you grow from utter helplessness

passing milestones-So-Fast

it leaves me dizzy in wonder

at how little i have really taught you

 

in those quiet clandestine moments

you keep turning new pages
 

in my jaded soul

 

to help me relearn the sheer beauty of

something as mundane as

pieces of jagged rocks 

and the utter fascination a pesky bug

can hold for you 

 

through your eyes i see the world

in all the small

compact places

long hidden 

 

that nothing is too mundane for possibility

and everything can hold keys

to endless adventures

 

and we don’t really need to walk past the parking lot

or even the stair way

to get you so pumped

about the intricate patterns

on the wall

or the delightful mess of the carpet

 

the infinite largess of the skies

or the varied textures of grass, gravel, mud, litter

forming base ingredients for your paradise

and adding water to the mix is like

upgrading to firdaws

(the highest realm)

 

when i can restrain my patience

to indulge you long enough

as you carry out your science experiments

“What happens when I drop this glass of water from here?”

or

“how does this new gadget work and

most importantly is it breakable?

and can i fix it?”

 

I wonder at how huge the world is and

how the laws are so alien to you

i really would have been whining

Complaining at all the learning

i have to do

figuring out the physical laws

the social mores

the dos and donts

would have worn out

any adult 

 

but in you i only see a fount of resilience

and excitement

waking up every day at the crack of dawn

wearing joyous smiles 

just bursting to find out what the universe

has in store

carrying around peals of laughter

tumbling freely like

scattered pearls

 

putting this old heart to shame

and breathing that warm glow of recognition 

at all the small beautiful moments

i have long being dis-membered from

 

when the world becomes too ugly

for me

because i keep looking

in all the wrong places

for inspiration

 

i have to but turn my gaze to you 

to re-member pieces of my soul together

and touch that depth that takes me back to the beginning

 

the fresh innocence of your eyes

places my giant hand

into the surprising warmth

of your little one

and gently guides me back

to the

Divine.

And this is where my lament begins…

Waves come gushing forth
breaking the false serenity
of distant horizons
lapping shores
with wet
kisses
embracing sand castles
into muddy
trails
of
news
brought from distant lands

dead bodies
twirling in the
froth
a heart broken
mourning
love lost
weeping
kohl streams
down soft olive
cheeks
bearing never
seen before
footage
of hunger
despair
moans from distant
places
echoing
furtive pleas
in silent chambers
of the
heart

Little feet paddling
squeaking with
joyous glee
as the cold rush
envelopes
tiny toes
murmuring ancient
stories
of empires
rising
and falling
within the span
of a blink
of an eye
startled cries
of little souls
that have seen
much
yet don't quite
understand
what they have done
wrong
to deserve
not a single thing

tides turn
carrying away
madness
the pure ring
of
a child's heart felt
laughter
innocent
of
whispered promises
made by
clandestine lovers
yonder
only to be
broken
by and by

echoes of silent prayers
twist with tragic turns
the unadulterated joy
of
a mother's embrace
laced
with the terrible sadness
of knowing

that which will continue
to burden the seven seas
as they
carry
and carry
gushing forth the
still sad song of
humanity
to all those
with souls
to
weep.

Caged

ecstatic leaves

childlike in their

enthusiasm

play with the gentle

tease of summer breeze 
 
 
their motherly tree

sways her limbs

indulging a songbird's

soulful blues 
 
 
skies unfurling blueness upon blue 

 
 
nearby a lake shivers

 sparkling diamonds

her womb encasing a snapshot

of the universe within 
{-} 

 
 
caged behind walls

screens

clothes

bodies 

desires

& egos
 
 
 intertwining thoughts

gradually wrapping

themselves like a

slithering snake choking

it's

unwitting prey 
 
 
forgetting that even beauty

imprisons

in its ability to mesmerize 

 
 
locked down in minute details 

 
 
unable to comprehend an

entire universe exists

without 
 
 
imagination circumscribed

by

vulgar images 
 
 
Reality remains

Un-reflected in the

narrowness

of

imprisoned

 hearts.

can’t quite recall…

an incessant energy propels me

dark and smoldering 

camouflaging

a certain ancient melancholy

whose legend

I can’t quite recall 

 

I am made of storm filled nights

that never see

the light of day 

 

a certain barrenness

encroaches

into

my soul 

seeking to catapult me

into the noise and clamor

of this pervasive

compounded

ignorance 

 

perhaps someday

i'll mirror the clarity

of forever sunny days 

and the struggling wildflowers budding

within

will color the rainbow

with their

velvety shades

and earthly hues

 

that little hint of blush

lingering with the fervent

kisses blown

on

tomorrow’s sunsets

 

but in these shadows

i am meant to languish

but for a moment

borrowed

 

incessantly

sculpting that

illusive meaning

without which

i am no more.

What remains Forgotten

In the quest for truth
there has always been travellers
sages from all ages
trekking the same
paths
redrawing their paradigms
of existence
from wells hiding
untold treasures
hoarding
secret whispers
of manifest destiniesonly few have the recourse
to these well hidden stores
of knowledge

for while everyone is well
equipped
armed with the necessary
tools to reconfigure
their existence
many are still asleep
under the complacent
blankets of non erudition
killing them softly
with songs of death
apathy
and the empty
witticism
of foolish
derision

In wombs catalyzing
creative thoughts
shades of meaning
are intertwined gracefully
within lines
of poetry

intimate soliloquies
strumming hearts
with what remains
forgotten
hidden deep underneath
strands of unkempt memories
and deadened dreams

whispers of collective
humanity
ancient as Adam
pure as Eve
evoking clandestine promises
and seldom heeded
warnings
passed on conscientiously
from one generation
to the next

of traps
hidden within the paths

of precious pearls
encapsulating
what we must never forget

as we strive to remember
the depths
of our forgotten truths…

and recollect dimensions
of our lost humanity.

vicissitudes of the heart

If the ethereal moon waxes and wanes,
oceanic tides ebb and flow,
autumn leaves
fall and grow…

then what of this poor heart?

If mountainous heights erupt in ashes,
the stable earth quakes and shivers,
sun-kissed skies turn to gloom…

how can this faltering soul remain in bloom?

when the meadows lose their luscious sheen,
and firey hues replace brilliant greens…

when everything we touch is not all it seems
and nothing remains of its former gleam

how can i still this tumult within?

as the desert blazes in noon's heat
dunes shifting and sliding
to the winds beat

i yearn for remembrances
of eternal peace

but if the selfsame sky can be both bright and bleak
and starry nights yield lightning streaks
if empty shells of distant memories still weep

can this fickle vessel be blamed
for a single tranquil moment it can't seem

to keep?

against this pulsating universe

i can't compete
i simply can't compete…

Adios 2005.

Adios 2005…

"We must strive to remember,
what the clouds will never forget"

remembering the tsunami
exploding us
into the shores
of the beginning

a year that passed
all too
soon

senseless suffering

mirrored across
the world
when Katrina
unearthed
America's
poor

paraded for the blind
to see

in between
was more death
at the hands
of man
the cruelest of all

hearts breaking

my baby's first smile

The surge of the most
exquisite love

and knowledge of such
helpless
vulnerability

tasting bravery
and re-learning the word
cancer

my mother's
serenity
as she battled her way
through surgeries
and chemotherapy

un-learning fear

as the earth quaked
and millions more
suffered

my baby learned to
crawl

to say "da da"

and melt my heart
in a million
different
ways

i fell in love
yet again

as bombs shattered more lives

hunger and obesity
fighting for those
left

the american media churning
more irrelevancies

keeping the masses mesmerised

i learned to gaze in wonder

at the
bluest skies

and read eternity
in the most innocent of
eyes

Family trials

against the backdrop of
politics and corruption
more stories unveiled
as evil continues to
stab itself
in the
back

a year of small truths
bubbling
to the smooth surface
of our conscience

a year of little wonders
assuaging
large wounds

little hands
carressing
humanity's cheek

little smiles
exploding
apathetic hearts

a year of little joys
stitched into tapestries
of pain

a year of lost opportunities
that will never
visit again

good byes and sorrows
are buried
with fleeting yesterdays

a new beginning beckons

how can we strive to
re-member

that which will seep sunshine
into this brand
new
day?

Dying Rose

The tale was wrapped in her soulful eyes

She kept them averted
In one
Glance
Her
Depths
unravelled
All it took
was a single
glance
for
her
tragic
innocence
to become
manifest

The flower lay
crumpled
Deflated
Ruinous
Beauty
Each
whithering
petal
proclaiming
unspent
memories
Each Dying
petal
weeping
broken
vows

Her veiled
face
hid
rivers
of
tears
flushed
eyes
and
streaming
kohl
she remained
mesmerized
as droplets
drenched
her
dying
rose

Is it actually
changing colors?

"he" is
never
coming
back…

she sighed

and

rose

not bothering
to pick
up
dying
strands

Inna Lillahi Wainna Ilaihi
Raji'oon.

(To Him We Belong and To Him is Our Return)

Alhamdullillah.

Sublime Rennaisance…

In The Shifting Sands Of Time

The East disregarded the powerful rays of
Her rising Sun,
While West was still writhing in her
Twilight…
Magnified desires,
Lusts,
Distractions
Strident against the lingering echoes of
Jesus and Moses,
Humans were busy sacrificing
Their depths
Busy adorning empty vessels
With slumbering souls and
Eclipsed eyes

Who unveiled you at a time when
Your light was the earth’s much needed
Respite?

Humbled by poignant grounds
Of orphanage,
Distressed by humanity’s plight
The universe nurtured your compassion
In truth you learnt to walk upright
Your countenance was the earth’s
Sole delight
Your penetrating vision, heaven’s
Unsullied sight

Who gave you the keys to unlock
Enchanting Mysteries carefully
Guarded by 
The spirit of the night?

How much you sacrificed coaxing
Man to adore,
How the sacred you manifested
Emanating sparks from your very
Pores
On the firmness of your back
The Oneness of truth you restored
Within the expansiveness of your chest
Resonated universal songs
Inspiring generations upon generations
To Reality to bow
In reverence and awe
Humanity’s soul heaved and rose
A civilization of light
From darkness reborn

The East is blinded by the powerful rays
Of her rising sun
To the west she turns
And relearns how fast her Noble
Spirit she can outrun
Clinging to fragments and structures
Words and symbols
Humanity is once again busy
So busy
In the depths of darkness
Adorning empty vessels
With slumbering souls
And Eclipsed eyes

The earth is weeping sublime
Revolutions,
Reaching for the sun
She is yearning
Higher illuminations…

Above the din of madness
The imperceptible Universe is
Steadily igniting resurrections
Into the Souls of the wise

“From the mesmerizing grounds
Of pathetic demise
Arise Defiant Spirit…Arise!”