By Francis Sunil Rosario
The war within goes on
A grinding conflict within and outside
For the world, it is a war
To kill and destroy
For those in power, it is an operation
To wipe out humanity though not intentionally.
Claiming one’s identity, hegemony and the boundaries
Desirable but not at the cost of innocent lives
When the world is crying for peace,
For brotherhood and understanding
The waging war has created
Worldwide tension and disturbances
Building bridges of peace and harmony
Remains a dream to achieve.
The elderly, the vulnerable and the senior citizens
Deeply rooted in their land of origin
Dependent feel neglected, shaken, abandoned and betrayed
Becoming victims of injustice of system
In the geopolitical environment
Their right to live in peace!
Even pet dogs and cats
Are crying every day for the return of their masters
They feel abandoned, lonely and restless
They have stopped eating in grief
They are moaning today, waiting patiently
They are sad.
Those who had kept their dreams high
Are shattered today
Today they are walking miles and miles
To find a safe place, a safer destiny
Walking on rubble and debris of destruction
A total annihilation of humanity from
The face of the city, the land they loved
Their promised land.
They have only disappointment to face
Walking towards unknown destiny.
Bombs, mortar shells keep pouring
Threatening lives,
Millions driven out of their homeland
A treacherous cry of humanity
Colossal and merciless suffering
A new normal gave birth to untold misery
New tragedy to eliminate the poor,
The downtrodden and fragile humanity.
The homes of the poor and marginalized gutted
Rich seen in their comfort zones, in swimming pools unaffected
Humanitarian corridors of mercy, compassion and kindness
Turned into life threatening tunnels
Babies born into underground bomb shelters and in basements
Children overexposed into cold, to disease, hunger and thirst,
No warmth, except the warmth of mother’s bosom
Children unaccompanied becoming orphans overnight
Humanity crushed under dominion of superpowers
Amidst geopolitical uncertainties.
Even after reaching home
The trauma of medical students and
The migrant laborers are disturbed today
They are in nightmares,
Emotionally, psychologically they are broken,
Suffering with physical pain and nervous breakdown.
Showers of bombing and missiles
The weapons of destructive forces
Ring into their ears day in day out
Thirteen days continuously
The War is on
Their shattered dreams,
Shattered aspirations and shattered hopes
How long it will be.
Those powerful forces want to keep power
In their hands,
To oppress the powerless and voiceless
They want that they keep their mouth shut
In keeping quiet and watching those
Many atrocities, violence and injustices
Inflicted on innocents
Helping the cycle of oppression to preserve
To safeguard the interest of few powerful, vested interest groups
That brings tragedy to millions
They are homeless, stranded and with no dignity.
Life has to go on with new dreams
Life is a battlefield
Do or die!
Hoping for a new future.
War is a turning point
Even though life is uncertain and insecure!
What was a silent revolution?
Today has become offensive
We do not want War, we want peace
That is the universal cry for freedom and dignity
Claiming our rights
Are we not free human beings?
Created in God’s own image.
From where the power to rule and control comes?
All power and authority is to serve humanity,
The cause of the marginalized and the voiceless
Today men and women in power
Fighting their self-interest,
Fighting against their own brothers and sisters
Those who sat at the same table to eat and dine
Today walls of division
Disturbed their emotions and feelings
Peace is gone!
Those disturbing sirens, death threatening terrible noise
Breaking eardrums
Those rubble in the streets
Debris covered with snow in cities and thoroughfares
City devastated
People leaving their homes, homeland
Not sure if they would return
Walking towards unknown destiny.
Houses gutted in fire
Fire fighters not seen
No extinguishing means to douse that life threatening fire
Millions are dying of starvation they are hungry, thirsty
No electricity. All in darkness.
Deeply affected by poverty and disease
Covid-19 brought pandemic
It has shown its ugly face with delta and omicron variants
No food, no water, no medicine.
That’s what this war has given to all.
The heat of global warming
And now the heat of war, unending, unprecedented
Where is humanity going?
All dreams shattered
Our aspirations, expectations gone to oblivion
Greenland have turned into deserts
Dead are buried under rubbles
No more ceremonial send off and burials
Dignified departures.
Humanity longs for peace
War within and outside
Has overtaken by surprise once again
The efforts of peace building, reconciliation remains only a dream
Still keep dreaming
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Repeating the words of Martin Luther King Jr.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in all humanity.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.
In the eyes of God all men and women are created equal.
All to sit down together at the table of brotherhood
This dream where a state sweltering with the heat of oppression,
Will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice
With this faith we will be able to work together
To pray together, to struggle together
To go to jail together, to climb up for freedom together
Knowing that we will be free one day
Peace will return and better sense will prevail
To love and towards building bridges of peace, harmony and humanity!