Instance Of Eternity

You may,
You may remain silent,
Remembering the friends,
placed to rest on the ground.
You shan’t speak before the dawn.

You may,
You may remain silent.
Remembering though, the hopes-
sliding down, against the walls of stone.
You shan’t speak before the dawn of the sun.

You may,
You may remain silent.
Recalling the fears and the wrench-
of the soldiers trapped in their trench,
of the martyrs left behind in blood-drenched.
And, you shall not speak, you shall not speak.
-.-.-.-.-

And if a while of your hour-
forsaken by the sound of your voice-
can take you to my rage and your remorse,
then, may your silence is tamed by my words.
And, you shan’t speak, you shan’t utter a word.

- Ahmad Shamlou

Poet: Ahmad Shamlou

Translation from Persian: Mariyam Dilmagani

Dedicated to today's incident: Malala Yousafzai, a 14yr old Pakistani peace activist was on her way to school when her school van was stopped by the Taliban who then asked for her by name and shot her. Till the latest news, she is badly injured as are two other children and in hospital.

And there remain many more, whom we may never get to know by names!