The Dead Don't Speak

Regarding the Taliban attack on the school in Peshawar, Pakistan.

A rifle in your hands,
strips of bullets over your shoulder,
like some kind of sick jewelry,
Did the kids you visit, think you overdressed?
I guess we'll never know,
because the dead don't speak.
Adorned thus, you storm into a school.
Maybe a child was being scolded
for not finishing his work,
maybe a few were choosing their careers.
I guess we'll never know,
because the dead don't speak.
Do you think they heard you coming?
Heard the stomp of your big black boots?
Did they hear the sound of gunfire?
Did they scream upon hearing screams?
I guess we'll never know,
because the dead don't speak.
There shall be a hundred tiny graves,
filled with bodies filled with bullets.
And mothers shall weep and wonder,
if the last lunchbox went unfinished.
I guess we'll never know,
because the dead don't speak.
"Allah U Akbar", you state firmly,
as you open fire.
Did they think what kind of God was it
who blessed this act?
I guess we'll never know,
because the dead don't speak.
But there is one query that I'm sure
they'd want answered:
"What DID you achieve?"
I ask this, as they can't anymore.
Because guess what?
The dead CAN'T speak.

Author's Note

Anything to say about it, condolences, condemnations, seems fake, but maybe this way I can express my feelings adequately. Written in order to get some anger out of my system; my hands can't seem to stop shaking.

Reviews

[MomzillaNC]

We, as writers and intellectuals… as people of compassion, reason, and Faith in a just and loving God must give voice to the dead. We must answer this murderous assassination of intellect, reason, and free thought with our words never bending beneath their tyranny. When one falls, a hundred must take up the call until there is no voice left but the voice of freedom. It is always the way with tyranny -- first, shoot all the teachers… Then, silence the thinkers.

They answer reason and intellect, words and pictures with the tyranny of violence and death. But we must not let them force us into their mold of violence and tyranny.

[luvs2write]

This is such a powerful poem, I can feel the anger radiating off of your words. It's such a horrible thing to have to write about...such a horrible thing to even have to think about. It feels wrong to say "good job", because the topic is so devistating...but your poetry is very good.