Remembering The Peshawar Tragedy

by Muskan Sethi 22:47 0 comments Fiction Poetry

That day they took away my family, my friends and my soul.

That day they took away all my reasons to be whole.
And no happiness, no smile or laughter can ever return to me,

That day they took away my everything from me.

Every word she spoke, embedded in my memory forever.

Her every last whisper, carved in my heart together.

Her walk to her last slumber, frail yet weak,

Her screaming eyes and her silent shriek.

I remember them asking her what death tasted like,

Taunting her, humiliating her subtle pride.

She didn't answer, she didn't unveil her fear,

But I saw right through her, to that innocent tear.

I saw that mere speck of hope despite the helplessness,

And even in her last moments, I saw her graceful elegance.

I envied her, how she could respond with such a calm demeanor,

Whereas pathetic little I, had already committed surrender.

And then I saw it, the flicker of a meek smile on her face,

I saw her laugh and everything fit into place.

And slowly she mouthed those beautiful words to me,

'I will always love you, my sister. Take care of Ammi for me.'

And then the heart rendering sound of a gunshot blaring,

The ripple of that single bullet slowly blazing.

Piercing my sister's heart, and leaving an eternal hole,

Shredding my own into a billion pieces, ripping out her soul.

I was numb and a heart stomping scream left me lifeless,

I stood grappled by her dead body, so motionless.

Pain seared through me, dawning the realisation over, 

That she was gone, not coming back, that this was for ever.

My screams, my shouts and my curses to destiny were all in vain,

Nothing I do will ever bring her back, again.

And then it suddenly hit me, the vanity of it all.

I was weak, vulnerable and defenceless to my own fall.

Slowly, I crouched under my desk, silently weeping.

That same desk where she sat with me everyday, still breathing.

I sniffled a cough and looked around in that dreadful mayhem,

Blood, and shattered dreams lay around in devastation.

Suddenly those loud footsteps overwhelmed me as they came near,

In that deadly moment, only the horrid screams I could hear.

That resonated in my mind, as I tried to numb my pain,

But as two bullets pierced my left leg, it was all in vain.

I stuffed my tie in my mouth to prevent myself from screaming,

A deadly darkness overcame me as I lay there grieving.

But I didn't lose my consciousness yet the pain was unbearable,

And to overcome my misery, my attempts were merely feeble.

And through the slits of my eyes, I saw my best friend burning,

Dying in the middle of the room, her body solemnly grieving.

And I couldn't take it anymore, wished that death would overtake me,

Hoped that it would take me out of the macramé of my misery.
...

Since then a week has passed but it feels like an eternity,

I try to find something to blame, maybe its my destiny.

Alas! They won't come back nor can the done be undone,

I try to find some hope but oh, what has this world become?!

That day they took away my family, my friends and my soul.

That day they took away all my reasons to be whole.

And no happiness, no smile or laughter can ever return to me,

That day they took away my everything from me.