A donated pair of eyes

(In Memoriam, Abdul Sattar Edhi, 1928-2016)

Deep in the valley of thorns

A flower blossomed.

Rays from the banks of rivers

Flowing in the hearts all around

Rallied to absorb in its petals.

The evening came singing

Intoxicated by a fragrance yet unknown

The morning star dived to kiss

The eyebrows of abandoned newborns.

Shrieks and cries changed

Into smiles outshining the morning glow.

The beggar’s bowl brimmed with tears of joy

The hand that held it was a flower

Deep in the valley of thorns.

 

The touch of paralyzed mother’s washed hair

Sprinkled with pearly water drops

Infused this hand with a mind of its own

Sensitive like an angel

Vibrant like a hummingbird.

Beneath the stinking crust

It felt and recovered humanity

Of the dead, the wounded, the abandoned,

The cursed, the old, the young

The deaf, the dumb, the orphaned, the destitute.

When the earth convulsed under our feet

When the floods engulfed our hamlets

This hand held our worlds in its palm – protected.

 

Into the valley of thorns I travel

Mine feet hurt and bleed

There! On that acacia branch

A dove just sang her last song,

The winds blew her frail body

Into a dusty pit she prepared with her own claws.

Through and beyond the centuries and millennia to come

White pigeons will forever fly

From this acacia branch

In the direction of hurting hearts;

Even in the darkest of nights

A donated pair of eyes in the heaven

Will keep a watch over them.

M Ashraf Adeel

USA

Freedom in Kashmir

From many decades the people of Kashmir have been demanding the right of self determination. The Indian Army has been treating them brutally. Thousands of Kashmiris have sacrificed their lives in this struggle of independence. Now a new wind of freedom has blown across Indian-occupied Kashmir after the murder of freedom fighter Burhan Wani by the Indian Army. There have also been reports of security forces attacking hospitals and ambulances treating the wounded. This is a crime under international humanitarian law.

Kashmir is an integral part of Pakistan by culture, religion, cast, and tradition, and its final status must be determined by the people of Kashmir. The UN and organisations like the Human Rights Watch should take notice of the miserable situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir. Killing freedom fighters is not the solution. India must see the writing on the wall and resolve the Kashmir conflict. It is keeping India down and is a dead weight around its neck. India will not get UNSC or NSG membership unless it resolves issue with its neighbours.

Engr Mansoor Ahmed

Faisalabad