CAUGHT BETWEEN THE CROSSFIRE

 

Maryam stood at the entrance of the sitting room, heads down and her hands clasped together like she had just been handcuffed. 'barka da yamma baba, good evening Baba' she muttered. The reply from her father was exactly what she had expected. 'What were you doing at the scene of the bomb blast in the market today? The father asked. 'Were you not supposed to be either in school or at home helping your mother?' Maryam knew that her father was not expecting replies from her so she kept mute and couldn’t do anything to stop the impending storm from the easy-flowing streams of her eyes.

They rolled down her cheeks and then formed tiny bulb shapes on her chin before taking a free fall in natural obedience to the law of gravity. 'Don’t you know that was a bomb blast. What if the other bomb which the security outfit defused had exploded?' Mr Gani continued. Maryam was now crying for two reasons; her father's hoarse and intimidating voice whenever he is angry and secondly the stark reality that she had endangered her life and how close it was to being sniffed away had the second bomb exploded.

Amid her tears of double fear, she for a moment wondered whether the second bomb wouldn’t have also killed her father. Maybe her father is invincible, she thought. Mrs Rabi went over to Maryam and put her arms around her and drew her closer to her bosom. 'It is okay, mai gida. She has got the message. Maryam next time, don’t go to any place of commotion. It is very dangerous, ki gane, you understand?' Maryam nodded and wiped off the tears streaming down her cheeks as her sobbing gradually subsided. Mr Gani continued his story now with a family of listeners and described the horrors of the scene;
...

(culled from my book: CAUGHT BETWEEN THE CROSSFIRE)

THE YOUTHS TODAY

Out from service , it's a time for a market of favour
God forbid the devil, my market is not of labour
Yeah, we like the flavour
But they forget nice flavour comes with good labour 

Years after, some got the job
But some were left to sob
In anger some join the criminals to rob
In business some found their hearthrob

Then comes the government
With its varying commandment
Negatively affecting their investment
Not minding their personal commitment 

They cry and plead for justice
They pick their phones just to read this
No need to stand together against the policies
They need remember The Merchant of Venice

For in Belmont was a lady richly left
To woo her, Bassanio Venice left
Antonio's life in Shylock's hands left
For Portia's love and wealth they knew anything can be left

So Bassanio just didn't sit down and wish
Rather he stood up and sought the lady so rich
And even when Antonio's ships their destinations didn't reach
The pound of flesh got another definition so rich.

"The oppressed should not expect the oppressors to freely hand freedom over to them. They have to DEMAND it"

A wise man once said that