No War, We Want Peace Poem by Nurul Hoque

Every time I open the newspapers,
War news catches my eye.
The rattle of civilisation-destroying weapons,
I see the grim pictures of
Murder, killing, looting and deprivation of rights.

This terror-infested, awe-stricken land
No longer yields
Any glad tidings.
Our souls,
Our consciousness,
Our treasured feelings,
Are held hostage by an invisible force.
No freedom of expression is there
In this world today.

Amidst this ghastly terror,
Let there be the birth of good souls.
The purity of whose souls will wash away
The indelible, stubborn shadow of terror.
Amidst a myriad of deprivations, we yearn for
A good, nurturing mother,
Whose compassionate touch
Will truly awaken soon
Our dormant faith.

Birds go banished with the felling of trees
So, the dawn chorus of birds
No longer rouses us.
At the feeble cries of the hungry,
At dawn every day
Our hearts become jolted.
To the harsh sound of bullets,
We wake up abruptly,
We cringe at the thought of unnatural death.

Yet, we too longed for
Fearless, untainted love.
In this lush green world covered in spring,
Let the flowers of faith bloom each day
In the skies wide and welcoming
Let our fractured hearts find solace.

No more war,
Instead, let us cultivate amity and harmony,
Let the barren landscape of our hearts
Be filled to the full with
Tender, nurturing saplings of love.