Editorial Note
A poem ‘HOMELAND BLUES’ depicting the plight of refugees in the Middle East, mostly from Palestine, Syria and Iraq.
The land of our fathers is a forgotten dream
Moments of nostalgia are but silent screams
Fleeing from our memories that are gathering dust
The cedars of Lebanon and the olives in Hebron and the roses of Sharon
Will our eyes ever again feast on your enchanting spree?
Our destiny has been sold in the corridors of deceit
Is there a healing for our bleeding thoughts?
Is there an end to our vanishing tears?
Indifference was the language of the eyes of our children
Forced to tread on lifeless cadavers and limbless torsos
Bringing home empty magazines and hand grenades
No toys, no school, no friends, no fun and laughter
Their screams were lost amidst rattling guns and exploding shells
Death is now stronger than life in their impressionable worlds
For their moments are lost in the eternity of fears
And their playgrounds of hope are forever shut
Woe to the schemers, busy carving out a generation of cold and unsympathetic souls
Whose lives, neither will they value nor of anybody
O foolish men, who exhort killing in the name of peace!
Won’t you ever stop bartering peace for power?
You self-proclaimed masters of the present and lords of the future
Ignorant and unforgiving brutes in designer suits
A pity earning your bread only by dividing hearts!
Reflect on atonement and redemption even as a momentary whim
And return those faceless humans back their homeland.