A Desparate Plea Poem by Beena Jal

All my life I felt immortal
Family, fortune, I had it all
Then a second is all it took
My world, my dream place shook
The sky seemed to touch my feet
The roar, the sound, the sizzling heat
I tried to move, to run, to hide
Every organ of my body cried
The suffocating heat and the dust
The sickening smell of dead and rust

I was trapped in a world of dark
I screamed but it left no mark
I cried for help, waited desperately
I wondered what had been happening lately
Was it day or was it night
Would some one ever bring me light

It hurt to breath or open my eyes
My throat was dry with desperate cries
I’ll die in here, no one will know
The feeling arises as time grow
No food to eat, nothing to drink
The angels of hope now slowly sink


My tears are dry after so long
Soon I will return to where I belong
I might as well die today, you know
I just do not want the pain to grow


But those who still live up there
Who walk the earth with little fear
And those who lost all they had
And dig the rubble with little aid
Give them help don’t be late
For who knows, how many like me wait
We need you now, more than ever
Help us please be our savior
For if we cannot pay you back
May God give you blessings special pack


(On 8th October 2007 a devastating earthquake struck the Northern Part of Pakistan. It destroyed every thing, hundreds of people were killed and millions were left homeless. Schools, colleges and universities were washed away. This poem I wrote depicting the feelings of a young girl who is trapped in her damaged house and have no knowledge of what all is happening outside)

Syeda Beenish Jalil