By Emtithal Mahmoud

What would you do if
your town was bombed

And everything near it was gone?

What would you do if
you were cold and alone,

And cast to the streets without a home?

What would you do if
someone killed your mom and dad?

And you had lost everything you had?

What would you do if
you were shattered and broken

Because you have witnessed
the unspoken?

If you run, where would you go?

If you died, would anyone know?

I myself would pray
And hope for a better day.




WAR IN DARFUR

The merciless soldier,
With a heart that’s a boulder,

blinded by fear,
Desperate cries for help, he’ll never
hear.

Roaming the streets with a
charred black soul,

No one is safe, not woman not man, not young
and not old.

Knowledge is forcibly pushed aside,

Because power has now taken the stride.

What was once a sanctuary, a haven for all,
Is now no haven, but a place where innocent
lives did fall.

What’s going on is a senseless, cold hearted war;
Bad against good, strong against weak, all in Darfur.

Possessions are gone, everything is wrong.

People aren’t happy, and homeless and hungry,
Worst of all is that no one is free.

Families are shattered, in this big bloody battle.

Good people loose jobs
And are replaced by slobs.

No female is safe,
Because she is a subject to rape.

People are murdered throughout the nation,

Because of this, mostly orphans make up the population.

There is no respect and there is no pride,
The only thing there is, is GENOCIDE.

I believe it’s time to put this to an end,
For there are lives to defend.

Take action, or sit in grief? If you still don’t know
which side to choose,
Ask yourself one question, ‘What did the children do?’




FRAMED

The government of Sudan is reeking of racism.
If they don’t like someone, they’ll kill them.

That is what the war in the south
Was all about.

The government had no army,
So they tore Darfurians from their families.

They were tricked, then forced to become soldiers
With time, their lives grew colder.

The government said they’d get a good pay,
Or maybe even be wealthy some day.

Though, they never got to see their families or even money,
And what they once dreamed was lost for all eternity.

On top of all that, the government said to the boys of Darfur,
‘You are going to be fighting in a war.’

These boys fought against their will,
For if they didn’t, they’d be killed.

People started trying to make peace,
But the government still would not cease.

Then one man came so close to stopping the persecution

The government personally saw to his execution.

After so many years of war,
The government blamed it on the boys of Darfur.

Will this government stay behind its mask?
A fowl one, embroidered with lies of the past?

If you could see the faces of the people who cried,
Then you would understand that these boys would never lie.

Most of these boys were never seen again, what a shame.
Yet, until this very day you can hear them say ‘We were FRAMED!’




RARE FLOWER

The rarest flower of all,
Is one that stands so tall.
It’s nectar is sweet harmony
So sweet, even sweeter than honey.
Its roots cling upon humanity
So elegant, yet it knows no vanity.
Its petals are covered with dew drops of love
It is truly a gift from above.
This flower is none other
Than Peace, the flower that holds us together.




PEACE IS FOR ALL

It does not matter where you are
Whether near or whether far.
If you’re big or if you’re small
Or if you’re short or if you’re tall
Or if you’re young or if you’re old
It does not matter what you’re told
Peace is for everyone
and everything under the sun
And every age and every face
And every size and every race.




THERE’S ALWAYS HOPE

Even when everything in life seems wrong
And the path of violence seems so long
There is always hope to light your way
Every night and every day.
Hope will always shine so bright
Like moonlight on a pitch black night.




PATHS

Life is a map covered in paths
Some are good and some are bad.
If the wrong path is what you follow,
Then the end of your life will be completely hollow.
even if during life the wrong path may put you on top,
You will always drop.
For life does not last forever,
So choose the right path and be clever.




VOICES

There are billions of voices in the world
Some very loud and some barely heard.
But it does not matter how loud a voice is
What matters is what the voice says.
So, if one voice says one word,
And this voice is heard,
It could make a huge difference.
And if not heard, it needs persistence.
So, lift your voice and say a word.
Say it again until it is heard.
For it does not matter how loud a voice is
What matters is what the voice says.




THE FIRST EXPLOSION

The first explosion came by surprise
It came from a plane high in the skies.
It was followed by others all without warning
They lasted all morning.
First it was heard then it was seen,
Next it was felt by every human being.
People were trying to run for cover
And children were crying for their father or mother.
Few people survived but sadly most of them died.
And after the explosions cleared the planes disappeared.
All that was left of the town
Were all of the houses brought to the ground.
All who survived would have to flee
For their town was not as safe a place as it should be.