From My Heart… Poem by Mehreen Tahir

I hope to wake up one day,
and find it’s all a dream,
nothing but a nightmare,
that disappears,
as if it never was.
I hope to wake up and see,
my home whole and well,
beautiful and warm,
my safe nest.
I hope to wake up and find,
all the smiles restored,
on the stony faces,
turned ugly by indifference,
pitiful by helplessness,
and wrinkled by the tears.
I hope to wake up and walk,
walk out onto the road,
with no fear,
no cause for alarm,
no threats halting my steps,
pulling me back.
I hope to wake up and live,
live as I used to before,
before the nightmare began,
when life was quiet,
my home was my own,
we all were one people,
there were no beards and guns separating us,
no customs and traditions threatening us,
no ‘religion’ teaching to destroy,
no tribes and organizations taking charge.
I hope to wake up and be,
in the old Pakistan,
when my country was,
if not heaven,
not the hell it is today.
I hope to wake up and breathe,
in my safe-haven,
and smell the fragrance of freedom,
feel the safety net envelope me,
and run in the winds of change,
with the sky smiling down on me,
my people,
and my home!