Submitted by : ImranAli786 on Strugle

The Shadows of Afghanistan
By Imran Zaman Ali

"One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,
Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls."
(Saib-e-Tabrizi)

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They parade along our streets,
Applaud on either side.
Exultant eyes will meet,
Their patriotism implied.

They reach their homes to find,
Smiles, cathartic and full.
Families gain peace of mind,
Pondering thoughts, no longer dull.

Not all return to their home,
Many are lost through war.
Saunterers of the dead, they roam,
Endlessly, their bodies made bore.

"One death is a tragedy,
One million is a statistic".
Their families may question vanity,
And the country will feel this ballistic.

Far away from our eyes,
Over the seas and lands.
There you will find the cries,
For those who lay under the sands.

They can see no heroes,
Only haunting silhouettes.
Wield guns, a shot echoes,
Bullets soar past minarets.

The atmosphere is still, tense,
Soldiers monitor the streets.
A distance is made clear, hence,
Fear is more patent than heat.

They will spend a bullet,
On one who poses no threat.
Whether it be pistol or turret,
A soul will pay an irresolute debt.

A man from our country dies,
The whole nation will mourn.
Newspapers spread the sighs,
And inflame those to scorn.

But when women are made widows,
And children made orphans.
Streets, deciduous like willows,
But when do we hear... of that orphan?

Life is life, sacred, with purpose,
Why are some ignored?
Why has a soldier been given a surplus,
Of significance, and ultimately adored.

And the people of the East,
Are shadowed by articles.
Soldiers, bask in light, at least,
But the East, reduced to particles.

We live in a time of darkness,
Made deaf and blind by ignorance.
The West bathe in the light of starkness,
The East, an embossment in the shadows of arrogance.

No soldier should wish to slay,
No innocent soul should be slain.
I pray for peace, but mostly, I pray,
The Shadows of Afghanistan, will rise again...