Harrowing Ruminations

• Jannat Abbas, Grade 10
• Poetry
• 2021

Twirling hues of scarlet inject warmth into the cold, abandoned sky. . . Into the little, glinting heavens, shining by and by.
Lonely sits a soul, the glacial winds hurled into his bones - the sand beneath his painted feet calling out in soft, comforting tones.
Overflowing pain and misery rise to the sky; he tries to ignore it, but it still gets by.
Surrounded with memories of what could have been - the hatred, dreadful screams under his skin.
Pulsing through his veins is the anger he feels, his wounds break open as soon as they “heal”.
Darkness surrounds him with every step he takes - an attempt to just smile turns into one fake.
Tears of children being ripped away, from their traumatized families who soon dead lay
Tears of mothers, who in anguish hopelessly grapple. . . For the last lingering touch from their weeping eye’s apple.
The laughter of once a merry and elated night, now drifts into the deepest and darkest of lights.
The blithe melodies of once a mirthful corroboree mourn heartrendingly, fading into depths one can no longer reach.
Vast, soot-coloured skies stretch deep into yonder; yearning for the lively exuberance they hear no longer.
And as the looming darkness soon begins to evanesce, he can only wonder what memories the day will bring – only guess.
Daylight will soon flood the plains; like other days – with this it began. . . Bringing back memories amidst the whispers of the isolated man:
‘I know the truth, but it's locked deep in my heart, and now more than ever, it's tearing me apart.’