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By sohail Date: 2008 Nov 14 Comment on this Work [[2008.11.14.12.49.6625]] |
| Island In the ocean of pain, In the storm of affliction, In the winds of suffering, On the waves of disappointments, There lies an island, Far, far away. And, on that island There are gardens of colours, There are lakes of happiness, There are deserts of fragrance, There are jungles of peace. One of these days We have to go to that land. June 1985 Wind, My Companion Wind, my companion, Taps on my shoulder, and whispers softly: Come along, my lifelong companion Pack your bags, prepare yourself It's time to set out again Let's climb the mountains together; Let's wander through valleys and discover towns; Let's explore the next chapter of life. I listened and replied fondly: Oh wind, my friend and companion Your invitation sends a shiver down my spine; My dormant pains are brought to the surface again. Do you remember, oh merciless wind, the journey of last year? We walked together On the narrow, crowded streets of the East. We explored the highways of the West. Together we pegged our tents in scanty towns, spent nights in posh hotels. We met people and families; We were welcomed and refused; We did it all in our journey together Oh wind, do you recall The children longing for fresh air, Left alone in streets, in hovels, and in shabby schools; The elderly so lonely and helpless Whose eyes mocked their loneliness; Young, strong men, Marching bravely forward with death riding right behind, Women, degraded and oppressed forced to accept submission in silence; The blacks tortured and tormented in their constant struggle for justice And many families, falling apart from lack of roots Running for so many years watching their lives crumble amidst the bounty of their longing prayers. Oh wind, my friend, is that what we wanted to see; is that happiness and progress? The wind listened with smiling eyes and said; My friend, you are so innocent, so naive. What a coward! One journey and you go whimpering, dejected and depressed. Look at me Do you see me surrendering to the realities of life? I have traversed these very roads for centuries. Yet, wherever I go, I sing a melody of joy, For you must know that the quitters will be trampled upon while the song lives on. I teach little children to smile; I encourage the oppressed women to fight for their rights. My sweet songs take the elderly to a happy time in their past and their wounded hearts are soothed. I blow my cool breeze To soothe those oppressed behind bars. Wherever I go, I see all, I face all and I try to bring some form of light and hope to my weary friends. There is no place, no person, no situation that will run away from a song of wisdom and peace. I listened to the wind, I heard its message. My strength returned, My wounds began to heal. I did not understand the whole truth But I wanted to learn more. I packed my bags and strapped my boots And began to fly again with the wind. |