Prasun Goswami

In the Name of Peace

A burning hell of violated flesh,
A bloodless moon glares overhead.
In a ravaged village\'s ruins,
Weary mothers nurse their wounded breasts to feed their starving young.

A storm of murder in religion\'s name,
Terrified children cry themselves voiceless.

Gun-toting monsters, with callous eyes,
Slaughter the innocent, unchecked,
A bloodied flag mourns on the soil of freedom.

The boundless sky turns black as night,
Hope\'s hour has vanished from sight.

But sitting in mountain caves,
Isolated rebels cry out, dying,
\"We crave blood to stain pale dreams.
Our honor is rent, our liberty supreme in its horror.\"

In prisoners\' eyes burns
Fire, fury, thirst for revenge.
The guard\'s approaching footsteps
Make death\'s dread tremble in their bones.
Yet they say, \"To defend our faith
We stand ready to conquer death.\"

Newspaper headlines blare:
\"Islamic State, a new dawn.\"
A promise of pitiless change,
Darkness of sorrow in novelty\'s heart.

Hungry human-demons
Destroy the deer\'s existence,
To slake their thirst for blood.
But I\'ve heard you say, beloved,
\"Not for religion, but for peace, we must fight.\"