Unmasked

• Miski Hadi Abdullahi, Grade 11
• Poetry
• 2022

I glance over at the TV screen
“Terrorist “The media screams
Standing there perplexed
My teeth shatter in fear
Terrorist is marked on our foreheads
Became a permanent tattoo ingrained in our skin
Media is a drug.
It feeds the minds of young people with hostility
leaving a bitter taste on their tongues
It’s disguised as a puppeteer
Dangling on our fears,
Tearing through the reality
The reality of our normality
The media is a permanent fixture in our childhood homes Cutting out truths and painting a lie
But I refuse to let you control me
I refuse to give you the remote that you wish to withhold