Madman Am I... Poem by Sharique Jamal

Madman am I...
Madman am I,
How I became mad, you ask me,
They robbed me of things above gold or nuggets,
They took away my memories,
Say what is a person without a memory,
An empty vessel with cracks all over,
Hence I became a madman.
I see the bleeding soul,
I see your false laughter bereft of life,
No one cares, none save the madman,
For though I walk in tattered clothes,
And with no shoes to protect me from
Scorching earth,
I still remember the love, the times
And death the burglers gave me in life,
Pardon me, for I am a madman.
When in the winter chill,
The little girl fails to sell her wares,
When the ostentatious walk by
Thinking what dirt litters our city,
In expensive raiment, which hides not the ugliness, shame on your dark soul,
But I cry for thee, little one,
My pain goes out to all,
Whom the robbers made ruins of their homes,
For madman am I.
I shall have you walk with me,
But cannot give you my grief,
You can remove your mask for me,
But cannot see my naked face,
I judge not, only atonement I seek,
For the hell that I faced every minute,
I have started loving my hell,
Heaven is not for me,
May you all rest in peace,
But my curse shall always be there,
You stole my memories,
And made me a madman.
I may forget but never forgive,
The hatred, malice and venom,
You spit on me, bleed me with your fork tongue,
I laugh at your insecurity,
For fools who swim in shallow water,
Can never see the ocean, as birds which
Fly with the wind, can never soar,
I go against the norms, a bitter path I make,
Yet my own, for eyes of fools see not,
Forget not that even one bereft of limb,
Raises his hands in prayer,
The King shall judge you,
I love my hell but even in heaven
Shall you burn,
A curse is upon you,
Then maybe my life will make more sense
Than my death, dear friends,
Till then,
From a madman, with love.