art by banksy
a child of war and terror.
as she lies bleeding,
the girl who skipped, hopped to school,
all of nine and a half years old,
with ribbons in her hair and a laugh that was her father’s pride.
as she lies bleeding,
shrapnel lodged in her torn stomach,
she stares at her skipping rope,
blood soaking it the colour of cherries her mother buys.
as she lies bleeding,
she sees human shapes all around, thick in the black smoke,
blurred visions of scattering feet,
shoes left behind,
hearing nothing but the pinging in her smashed eardrums.
as she lies bleeding,
she slips away and then she is dead,
a mangled heap of a nine and a half year old girl,
whose laugh was her father’s pride.
as she lies bleeding,
even in death she bleeds some more,
shrapnel wedged in her torn stomach,
stealing the light from her bright innocent eyes.
as she lies bleeding …
in jallianwala bagh in ‘19,
johannesburg in ’93,
leningrad in ‘42,
freetown in ‘98,
soweto in ‘76,
beirut in ‘85,
hanoi in ‘68,
st. bernadino,
manchester,
baghdad,
brussels,
london,
tripoli,
miami,
jenin,
paris,
kabul,
raqqa,
basra,
mosul,
gaza,
aleppo still.
as she lies bleeding,
a little nine and a half year old girl,
whose laugh was her parent’s pride,
we know she’ll bleed more,
tomorrow and in many tomorrows yet unborn,
with shrapnel in her stomach,
ripped open and torn.
as she lies bleeding,
a child of war and terror.
art from google
Scribbled Verse 
Fabulous write about a sad really that we must change.
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very true, my friend.
thank you for your kind words. humble thanks.
Peace ✌
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please excuse the errors in grammar in my comment.
Peace. Shanti. Salaam. Shalom. uKuthula. Paix.
✌
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Any where in the world, the heart explodes on witnessing such gory heart wrenching scenes. You have made our hearts bleed through your verse Afzal. These mercineries who in the name of religion or any other reason kill innocent people are heartless . Let’s pray for universal love and peace.
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so very true, Radhika! those who choose to brutalise people in the name of religion, race, caste, gender, tribe, are enemies of all humankind, wherever we live. ad Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere'”. it is heartbreaking and contemptible to see so called ‘leaders’ and religious figures who use and abuse the teachings of their religion to further perpetuate in discriminate violence against the most vulnerable people in society. tragically human beings follow these religious fanatics and go along with the savagery of those in power by emotional manipulation. may we as common people finally appreciate that we are all bleed red and we all love our children and we all share common aspirations for the future. hope seems elusive in times like these when it appears that the world is being consumed by hatred and violence and intolerance. but one thing history teaches us that the people will rise and that injustice and hatred cannot flourish forever. as our former President Nelson Mandela said ” no one is born hating another. and if one is taught to hate, then one can be taught to love, because love comes easier “. your words touch me deeply, Radhika, and we live with hope no matter what and try in our small ways as individuals to counter these vile scourges that we witness. with my warmest wishes and humble thanks for your powerful and spot-on words.
Peace on Earth! ✌👍
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I can only use emojis to express my feelings: 😢😭💔 My heart aches for peace to come.
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yes, friend, just like you, my heart aches for peace to come. we have lost our sense of decency by the brutality of seemingly never-ending war.
Peace and warmest wishes, friend ✌
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and my apologies for mentioning animals just after women and children … I definitely did not want to lump them all together but rather make a point that we humans (mostly men of course) are so arrogant that we fail to understand that we are all of one world and the pillage of this world by greed is driving humanity to extinction due to the savagery of how we treat the environment and the billions of other species we share this world with.
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It’s everything inclusive afzal…humans always subdue the weaker ones so animals women children are all part of our day to day environment
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True. True. Too true, Shalini
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I am sorry afzal sir, I am not detracting anything from your words. They are strong they are powerful and they are applicable in the urban wars too
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I’m just Afzal … definitely not sir, dear Shalini … and your words are just so true and you are absolutely correct in acknowledging the ‘silent’ and unreported violence that women and children and the animals we share this world with have to endure. I fully agree with every word that you say. we need so-called ‘men’ to learn that women and children are not ‘things’ or ‘property’ to treat with contempt.
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So true afzal… So true… Wars are fought every day, every time I leave home… This is such an honest discussion and instead of crying we need to start resolving to protect… That’s what I wanted to explain to “the veiled effect”… You understood me perfectly. Thank you
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indeed, my friend … its ‘battles’
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apologies I pressed ‘send’ mistakenly. So very true, Shalini, we tend to rally around the wars and the large battles in the world BUT often it is those very men who speak the loudest about war and terror who fail to, or rather choose not to address the daily battles women and children have to endure every day. the misogynistic world often camouflaged by ‘culture’ and ‘religion’ and so called ‘traditions’ are the daily battles we should fight, especially if we have a voice and are capable of speaking the truth of what countless people around the world suffer daily – and once again it is the women and children who are most brutalised. each and every one of us can make a difference however small and those small changes and gestures can bring about the change we need to see. Your words ring true and it’s the urban wars and battles of not being objectified and treated as mere things to do the dirty work while the men carry on as if they are the ones shouldering the burdens when in fact the absolute reverse is true.
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Very true afzal… I cant write like you but I have seen life
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you write absolutely perfectly – and I am not meaning it patronisingly – and may your strength and words of truth be always shared. Always!
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Thank you… But u write on true society and I talk about fiction world… But in comments section I write based on my experience
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you write from the heart and extremely articulately. again i don’t mean to be patronising but because it is true. long may your pen and your principles flourish, my friend. hum honge kaamyaab! there is always hope. always.
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Very true…
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and very very true all that you have said. the change begins with us – within us.
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As we understood more will.. Someday..
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someday. hopefully sooner rather than later. the ugliness has gone on for far far too long
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Ugliness is increasing afzal as this fast life increases… I want to live with depth… With my soul intact.. This fast life is bringing with it good and bad ways…
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too true. and unfortunately the simple idea of living with ones soul intact seems to be the hardest thing of all in this world where selfish materialism seems to be on rise instead of compassion and being true to the humane values
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please allow me to thank you for this discussion. it is very pertinent in this world and we can strive and hope that many more such conversations are engaged in so that we may be more just, less cruel to the very gender we (men) claim to love etc.
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Thank you for understanding… This was a soul searching discussion
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thank YOU for your sharing and for us to have such a truly soul searching conversation. my very warmest of wishes, my friend
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you too afzal
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I’m crying right now 😥 I wrote a prompt on my blog right now. Can you check it? You made me cry…..
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I’m speechless. am humbled that it touched, my friend.
Peace always ✌
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You made me cry 😥 I’m not talking to you
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😤 warmest hugs and my sincere apologies 😊
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Hope it makes those cry who cause the wars. But unfortunately they will roam unaffected and will continue to wedge wars 😥
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so true, my friend. in a world of greed and excess, unfortunately human beings have lost what it means to be humane
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I wonder how they sleep peacefully with so much blood on their filthy hands.
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for those whose consciences are dulled and numbed by aggression, I think they sleep very soundly indeed. and that in itself is a scathing indictment of how ‘humans’ have embraced conflict instead of harmony. walls instead of bridges
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Don’t make me cry again. I already have trouble sleeping and I know I’ll think about it all night long……
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i shall remain silent henceforth, my friend. and may you have a peaceful and gentle sleep ✌👍😼
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Same to you 🙂
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Same to you :’)
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Heyyy cry and remember, don’t forget these words… Its not only wars which can steal a child’s innocence.. We see it in every day life so resolve to protect every child, every woman every helpless animal.. Its not always the shrapnel war but the war in the real life which takes innocence more
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True 😥 I’m learning so much from you guys :’)
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very very true … the patriarchal misogyny and abuse and violence in so many forms against women all through the ages is a disgusting and ongoing evil that must be fought on every level – from the home to the world at large. the hypocritical platitudes that ‘men’ use like ‘mother’ earth etc are meaningless when the true evil lurks inside. the different and unfair manner in which boys and girls are treated lays the foundation for the misogyny that follows. such true words, Shalini!
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A person once told me that a woman is a woman’s worst enemy.. Its true in a way… I wish every son is taught by his mother to respect and protect everyone and not to judge.. Live a life truly worth living…
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yes it’s often said that a woman is women’s enemy but I think that’s too simplistic, with respect. In a world where there is so much evil perpetrated against woman it sometimes does happen that certain women treat other women badly BUT it is absolutely and totally so miniscule that we should never be distracted from the real evils of misogyny
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In india if every mother would teach her son to respect women then no woman would be burnt for dowry, no one would go through domestic violence, no girl would be aborted in utero…. Her son would treat everyone equals.. That doesn’t take away the fact that there are other reasons why men behave so… But these are the ones I see regularly..
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you are very right. unfortunately it is the culture and traditions and religions that have through the ages put men on a pedestal. if only mothers would impart the values of fairness and equality between the genders we would progress so much more. the saddest thing is that women have been beaten down so much through the millennia that women at times have no idea of what equality really means. the notion of ‘pati hamesha right hota hai’ and the putting of women in burgas etc all contribute to the ceaseless undermining of women. and the most ugly truth is that this mindset is prevalent across borders and cultures and religions etc. it is a shame on all of us.
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true that
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and on a personal note, i have seen even in my extended family how the inequality is perpetuated. we HAVE to raise our voices and we HAVE to continue the struggle because, for example, it is almost a world-wide truism that women are paid less than men for doing exactly the same job. and this is not confined to the so-called third world but right in the heart of the so-called advanced countries.
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Yes… I agree… But I suppose if people in our immediate world understand then slowly things will get turned around but it will take a loooong time maybe not in my life’s journey.. V reached Mars yet basic equality is not reached or understood
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you have hit the nail on the head. if only we could look inwards and introspect about how our, and I mean mens actions, are the root cause of most of society’s ills it matters little to reach Mars or achieve technological marvels when we cannot treat our mothers and sisters and wives and daughters and nieces etc by empowering and breaking away from the backwardness that keeps so many in subjugation
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On a different note, sorry to divert, you use so many 8letter word its just wonderful.. I had forgotten most of these words. Ur vocabulary is fabulous… I am almost envious
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no apologies ever needed as there is nothing to be sorry about. your words are too kind to me and am humbled. my very warmest of wishes and regards to you and to those dear to you.
Peace. Aman. Ukuthula. Salaam. Shalom.
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You too.. Peace be with you always
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dhanyavaad. shukriya. merci beaucoup. kea leboga. shanti.
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