Remind me again, my friends,
What it means to be happy
For I’ve lost my buds of joy and bliss
I’m becoming numb to my pain
And I live to find solace in my own oppression
Among the oppressed,
Among the dead
Remind me again, my friends,
What it means to be blessed
For I’ve lost my everything and more
My people are being plucked from their land
My elders have been slaughtered
My children orphaned
My mothers widowed
And I live to collect the limbs of my people
Among the cursed,
Among the dead
Remind me again, my friends,
What it means to be a citizen
For I’ve lost my home
And I’ve been forsaken,
Ensnared in the shackles of injustice,
My land has been denied to me
And I live to console my people
Among the wronged,
Among the dead
Remind me again, my friends,
How it feels to laugh
For the demoralizing silence of my people’s screams
Has muted me, deafened me,
I am being pushed into the abyss of nonexistence
And I live to hear a song from my people
Among the crazed,
Among the dead
Remind me again, my friends,
What it means to live
For I walk spiritless
In the ashes of each blast aimed at my people
I follow the shadow of death,
Yearning to survive,
And I live to swallow the rage of malice
Among the annihilated,
Among the dead
~ Qrratugai
~ Dec. 27th 2009
Brilliant . . .
ReplyDeleteVery Intelligent...
looks like "geenakay bay gati"
Pa khair, Qazi wror :)
ReplyDeleteDera manana for your comment; it is very much appreciated!
Abad ao khushala osai!
Yes, brilliant indeed! Portrays Qrratugai's deep love for her people and land!
ReplyDeleteWhat fills me with bitterness is that Pukhtuns fail to realize that in its small-town and rural population lies much of their real strength; yet despite this fact, the unlettered villagers and townsfolk have little awareness of the issues and problems confronting their land and very little voice in the shaping of its affairs.
Keep it up Qrratugai! You are doing a great job!
Pa khair raghlai ("The Humiliated"),
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your response! :) I'm glad that I succeeded in portraying my deep love for Pukhtuns and our homeland in this poem. Staso dera manana for appreciating it.
Yes, you're right that our people there really aren't aware of (at least many of) the problems we're facing today, or then their causes as well. I personally have seen more Pukhtuns living abroad speaking out than those back home, which is obviously because our minds and mouths are silenced there but not once we're abroad. And once we get the opportunity to live outside of our land and allow ourselves to be exposed to other cultures/peoples, we realize what our problems are.
P.S. You should totally get a blog.... No?
Just wonderful as always :)
ReplyDeleteQrratugai, keep alive this writing spirit and hope to read more of such brilliant pieces here on your Blog. Thanks for sharing.
Qratugai
ReplyDeleteThough I am not competant enough to comment on poetry,however I share the empathy that you feel.This does not mean by any means that I corroborate the view that we should confine ourselves just to empathise with our people.Your effort to use your amazing skills for projecting the miseries of our poeple is highly appreciated.
Manana, Khugman ao Rokhana! Your good thoughts are very much appreciated. Khwdey yo khushala larai :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a ----------- REMINDER!
ReplyDeletelol! :) Nice reminder, Naveed. Thanks! lol
ReplyDeleteA reminder that has a slap in it for all Pukhtun men! Talking about it's literary aspect, there is an unmistakable genuineness and sincerity in each word which makes the poem all the more meaningful and precious in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteConcerning my blog, don't you think I should be a poet or at least a writer to get a blog?
lol. No, you don't have to be a poet or a writer to get a blog. C'mon, kana. But even if you did, you look like a writer anyway ... admit it. You're a writer. It's obvious from the way you're speaking. Waley, darogh de sa?
ReplyDelete