My True North Poem by Sadaf Aslam

My pillows are soft with silky covers,
My bed is warm, fluffy feathers,
The snow glows on a moonless night,
Quiet and calm. A peaceful sight.
The world sleeps, a restful sleep.
But, I hear you Gaza. And I quietly weep.

Mid-December. Holiday season.
Shop and shop. For no reason.
Love and joy. And friendly cheer.
Merry Christmas. And a happy new year.
I wonder though. How do you breathe?
I hear you Gaza. And I quietly weep.

How many dead for a genocide?
What's the criteria for an apartheid?
The powers that be will negotiate.
Pure greed will breed purer hate.
One day the fires will finally cease.
I hear you Gaza. And I quietly weep.

An orange shirt on Reconciliation day
A town renamed or a parkway
Not enough to wash our sins away
Colonial scars, here to stay
Some hearts might never fully heal
I hear you Gaza. And I quietly weep.

Missing and murdered, girls and women
Teen suicides by the dozens
Opioid crisis, coast to coast
Loneliness haunts us, like a ghost
But nothing compares to your agony
I hear you Gaza. And I quietly weep.

White phosphorus in the air
No food, no water anywhere
Hell on earth? Or a nightmare?
How much pain can a soul bear?
Thousands gone. How do you grieve?
I hear you Gaza. And I quietly weep.

My true North, strong and free
I seek some moral clarity
Will selling bombs buy us peace?
Will arm deals help the economies?
Will shutting my eyes, stop the screams?
Will shutting me up, appease the bullies?

How miraculous, our hypocrisies!
Justice is blind. Our friends, she sees.
My true North, strong and free
If you care for your legacies
Stand with Gaza and dare to be
On the right side of history

We hear Gaza and she clearly speaks

They take my land and cut my trees
My faith they may never steal
'Surely, with hardship will be ease
Surely, with hardship will be ease'

Long is the road that leads to peace
So walk with me and sing with me
"I am the Truth. I will be free'
'I am the Truth. I will be free'