by Zahur
Trodding, plodding, every step a fight against survival
Every step a searing pain, betrayed by mother earth
Every blow against the back, and unrelenting trial
The unrelenting fight to take her very worth
To strip her to her bones, to take her dearest smile
Her humanity, it wavers, she gives a little cry
To the ground she tumbles, to lay there, and to die
The whip it is relentless, mercy here a foreign word
Shall she give up now? Her screams, are they unheard?
“Halt! Spare her!” A voice harsh and unafraid
An arm around her waist, protection here at last
But what will be the cost, for orders disobeyed?
The scout, his arms enfold her, by his anger unabashed
Against his superior he stands, a glare behind his mask
Judgment swift is made, through the air it cracks
(the scout he blocks, leaving his master) gasping in dismay
Child in his arms, (away from his master) he backs
No plan in mind, a life in hand, here he can’t delay
The caravan no longer safe, his life there be damned
Away, away! The choice is made, no second-guessing now
Into the desert he must go, into the shifting sand
Alone into the desert land, where life is ne’er allowed
Not alone, but with a child, what a fool to have taken a stand!
His heart is steady though his vision falter and his will fade
(As across the shifting sand he struggles)
Watching the horizon cloud, despite everything he prayed
To his knees he stumbles, with his cloak the child he snuggles
Covering her broken body from the desert tirade
The wind around the huddled mortals whips,
It’s presence blocks their only solace, their only means of hope
Ever darker the desert grows, the sun the sand eclipses.
(Missing line?)
The storm it not unkind, against his cloak it batters,
(It asks for just one favor:) entrance to their safe abode.
Under the noise of so much sand, a little coughing sounds
The girl spits sand from her mouth, causing the scout to frown
From his face he pulls his mask, his life’s dearest protection
Over the child’s head he puts it, tightens it to perfection
Her relieved gasping is all he needs to justify the risks
A smile flickers across his face despite the deadly fix
The storm grows ever harder, its request now a demand
Let it in or suffer greatly, it screams at the unyielding man
His defenses now are falling, under his cloak creeps the sand
Around the two it spirals, every shifting, the wind an endless fan
The scout clutches close the child, so similar to his own
Here, he does not want to die! He never wished his love goodbye!
Coughing racks his body, a sob, and then a moan
But the wind shushes him to silence with her gentle lullaby
Her lullaby enticing, like a mother’s flowing love,
The child listens to the quiet song from up above.
There they lie in silence, with the sand to tuck them in
Buried deep from the horrid world
From the world of pain and sin
Together, now, forever, a father and a child
In body not his own, but with compassion eternal tied
Note: parenthesis indicate where lines of the poem where missing and scholars have speculated what should fill those gaps.
MissionSparrow: I composed the poem. Zahur is a fictional character. If you want background, please read the latter half of my previous post titled “to lady wisdom”