Childhood Poem by Akhtar Jawad

Time! What a cruel you are!
What a scoundrel you are!
Whatever you give you give as a loan,
To take back with a compound interest,
And that too, against lien of life,
Against pledge of sentiments,
And mortgage of beauty,
What a creditor you are!

For unsecured victims of love,
Having a heart innocent and fragile,
Having a body tied in chains,
Of customs and taboos,
A social animal,
With flesh and bones,
An escape goat,
Who grows under sword of a loan!
You play your game,
Who you amuse by it?

And when the day of event comes,
You come with the degree,
Of the top learned court,
And put on auction,
The human sentiments,
The beauty of beloved,
Even then the major principal,
Remains un-adjusted,
You sacrifice the goats,
What a butcher you are!

Time! Why you be fooled?
My innocent childhood,
I, with a sweet lovely girl,
In a pink skirt was running behind,
The colorful butterflies,
And she was collecting,
Fragrant flowers,
The pink roses,
The white jasmines,
The pious lotus,
You came with the Cupid,
And by arrows of love,
The two innocent souls,
Were joined together,
And you made them slaves,
Of your unending loan,
That remained unpaid.

When installments of your loan,
Remained unpaid,
You never warned us,
The poor in debtors,
In your thick black books,
Kept on skies in out of reach,
You went on adding,
The compound interests,
The souls were helpless,
You divided the loan,
Without any pity,
Equally on the two!

You took our childhood,
But the sin of love,
Chased us like shadows,
And the furious shadows,
Went on enlarging,
You took beauty from her,
You took innocence from me,
You took sentiments,
From the hearts in love,
You took the velour,
From the shining bodies,
The souls were left.

And now you merciless!
On the day of event,
You now came with your jaws,
With knives and choppers,
To sacrifice the goats,
With all their love,
The goats are crying,
And calling their childhood,
But you are empowered,
By the Grand Great Court,
We can't get back,
Our lovely lost days!

Do your work,
And let our blood,
Make our mother earth,
Once more red on the surface,
She will give birth,
To flowers and butterflies!
You can kill the children,
But childhood will survive.

Time! you teach us sins,
But please be kind,
To the innocent children,
Why don't you educate,
Well in time,
Why you leave them ignorant,
To learn by trial and errors.