I am Emtithal Mahmoud and I am 14 years old. My mother is Amira Tibin, and my father is Dr. Ibrahim Mahmoud. I am the oldest of three children, with both a younger brother and sister. My family originally comes from El-Fashir, Northern Kutum, Dar Zagawa, and Nyala, all of which are regions of Darfur, Sudan. I live in Northeast Philadelphia and go to J.R. Masterman High school. These are my poems for Darfur.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

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,
They're 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!"