My bleeding heart for my bleeding Pakistan

I am a visually impaired citizen of my beloved country, and after observation, I see hatred and a scarred society.

Aftab Ali Haider January 16, 2015
Before I introduce myself, I would like to add a quote by one of my favourite human beings, Maya Angelou:
“You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot – it's all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.”

I am a visually impaired citizen of my beloved country, Pakistan, and this quote has a strong influence on me. I try to do good as much as possible and try to spread love and harmony by my actions. I have a passion for nature and all its beings; however, after observing my surroundings, I see the effects of hatred and an emotionally scarred society.

I see unemployment, I see poverty, I see terrorism, I see war, I see socio-political injustice, I see inequality... and my heart, it goes to all those who feel this way.

And so, I’ve decided to express myself through this poem:

When I see a mother weep,

For she cannot feed

Her children’s screams devoid.

Poverty smiles at its dominance,

The poor are victims of its chronicles.

 

My heart... it bleeds

When I see the youth deprived,

Their faces depict a tragedy

That will devour their lives

Their souls mortified

Their dreams shattering apart.

 

My heart... it bleeds

When I see nature scream,

As they tear down trees,

When the grass is no more green,

But the seasons come and go at ease,

As if nothing has happened to nature’s beloved.

 

My heart... it bleeds

When I see a peasant’s needs,

For they cannot make both ends meet.

When I see a farmer’s struggle,

Their faces shine with sweat from hard work,

But still they don’t get their promised reward,

However, they remain humble.

 

My heart... it bleeds

When I see the reign of terror,

Smirking through the valleys of splendour,

Spreading hatred and horror,

Destroying nations and borders,

With the audacity of a coward.

 

My heart... it bleeds

When blood becomes cheap,

In a world full of deceits and creeps,

As people become hollow,

For the sake of a dollar,

And common men holler.

 

My heart... it bleeds

When I see a soldier die,

For his country, bury its martyr,

And the soil embraces a warrior,

Motherland cries for peace and harmony,

For its soil has bled with,

The sons and the daughters,

A halo upon their tombstone shines.

 

My heart... it bleeds

When weapons of mass destruction increase,

And populations of the world decrease,

Wars demolish everything tangible,

Human race comes to its knees,

But the powerful laugh and feast on screens.

 

My heart...it bleeds

When education becomes scarce,

As illiteracy triggers its glare,

When illness comes uninvited to the doorsteps with flare,

And hunger is as common as houseflies.

But we still smile at the sight of a rotten pear.

 

My heart... it bleeds

When I see the politicians glisten with prejudice,

As humanity says goodbye,

When the rich gleam with contempt,

As the destitute succumbs to death bell,

And they try to forget the anthology,

My heart... it bleeds.
WRITTEN BY:
Aftab Ali Haider A visually impaired person who has a degree in M.Sc Entrepreneurship and SME Management from GC University, Lahore. He has a passion for nature and books.
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

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