Our Footprints Poem by alim abla

We were young when we started this long journey,
Now our grandchildren are big enough to ride a horse.
We were few when we started this arduous journey,
Now we have become a big caravan leaving footprints in the desert.
Our footprints left in the desert and on the mountain roads,
In the desert so many warriors are left without a tomb stone.
Do not say that they are left without a tomb stone,
There will be flower blossoms when the spring dawn comes.
We left our footprints, our destination, and all at the distance,
sand blown by the wind can’t bury our footprints at all.
This caravan will never stop, though the horses are too thin and weak,

Footprints will be found by our grand or great grand children.


(Written by Abdurehim Otkur/I translated this poem from Uyghurs.)