I Shall Rise...! Poem by Mehreen Tahir

A spring in my step,

I take the first leap,

with the whole world watching,

apprehensive,

doubtful,

that I shall ever rise again,

from my weakened state,

declaring me ‘failed’.

Yet I stand; determined,

and steadfast,

to leave the miseries behind,

dry all the tears,

wipe away the blood,

hide away the uncertainties,

and reclaim the pride.

I vow to prove them wrong,

slap away their claims and lies,

they tell me I cannot recover,

but I stand by my resolution,

of living the dream of millions.

The handful who have abandoned me,

can never pull me back,

from this journey toward recovery,

I cry for the sons and daughters of the soil,

who have left me behind to rot,

believing profusely I will wither away,

but why shed tears for the hopeless and scared,

they were never meant to be a part,

a part of this time in history,

time whose tales will be told in the future,

of how a nation stood up again,

proud and free.

I will survive,

because surviving is my only option,

as I was never taught to falter,

to halt in front of the hurdles,

so I will keep flying in the free world,

my crescent and star on the green field,

and I will engulf all those who choose to stay,

to clean up,

to re-erect the lost edifice,

together we will recover,

and stand tall,

fly high!