O yon Tigris running red,
flow on fast, do not tarry,
on your banks innocents bled,
a shameful load, you now carry.
Do your waters feel the pain,
groans of dying multitudes,
those for no sound reason slain,
and their mourners' fortitude.
Has your breast their sorrows kept,
as their shrieks echoed around.
Have you like me rivers wept,
for those who fell to the ground.
Will the violence ever cease,
where Scheherazade did sing?
will her city yet know peace,
when with screams its walls now ring?
O cruel world can't you see,
this shameful war's true horror,
carnage that goes on daily,
instilling in lives terror.
What agony is this fear,
afraid for lives big and small?
wishing to hold loved ones near,
not knowing when one will fall.
Craters are where once were homes,
full of love, laughter and security.
with one bomb turned to a tomb,
what once was a sanctuary.
Mangled corpses strewn in streets,
Injured cry in agony,
Gory sights; sans shroud or sheets,
Skies weep at their destiny.
Oh! my Lord I pray to Thee,
Please, now on them have Mercy.
Author notes
Today in my dream I was in Iraq, it was awful, when I woke up I felt compelled to write this poem. It is born of pain.
Written November 20th, 2004
In a list
A contest entry
- Free For All by AvatarOfAnarchy.
400 points, ended March 26, 2006, 52 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 27 of 27
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you have painted memories with your words, as old as civilization itself...this stanza is profound.."Has your breast their sorrows kept,as their shrieks echoed around.
Have you like me rivers wept,for those who fell to the ground" excellent write
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Thanks for reading Jean, I think you have grasped the feelings extremely well by saying to be a neighbour of war and that is exactly how it is though one is not exposed to it to know how close the terrible things happening are is awful in itself one can live in a peaceful place and still feel the vibrations from across in one's very soul. The constant news of the unending violence is quite unbearable.
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A terrific poem Pari. I can understand how your dreams would draw you into Iraq as well. I am so far from the actuality of it and have morbid images in mind... to be a neighbor of war and death
I fear I might well lose my very mind! A fine wirte and best wishes... 
s...~genielassie~
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I, for no reason, can imagine what justification there can be for a war. All it does is cause carnage, bloodshed and heartache. What has the movement of President Dumbass and his so-called "democracy for everyone" agenda done so far, except rob many of the innocent people of Iraq of food, water, shelter, electricity, and life? Did he, along with several other politicians who actually support this travesty, not heed the warnings of the holy books when they said no earthly man could bring peace to the world?
I can understand, from the outside, the anguished cry of a land dripping with innocent blood. And I can, from the inside, crumple into tears at the very knowledge that there is nothing that I, personally, can do about it. You'd think that, with the hundreds of thousands of years of history we have that we would've learned better solutions by now.
Many blessings,
Raven Aurora
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Born with pain and anguish...and so frightening truthful. Your powerful words have painted a most vivid picture of the war from the eyes of the fallen. An amazing piece...astounding.
Sam
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incredible
very powerfull poem and a must read for every one including politicians and head of states before thinking about war
well i guesws i'm being too hopefull they will never learn from history until they burn a new land -
Blood on blood and dust to dust.. there is no win in war. All that ever comes to rest are bones which litter ground broken down as heros that fight for someones crown. Dead on dead, a riverbed.. of 'souls' who must obey, stretching back too far in time, too far with its dismay.. no win in war just who still stands, until another battle demands the fight for lands...
~~Lisa
Edited on Nov 25, 2:55 because ''. -
Sorry I haven't been around, not enough hours in the day...this poem really rips my heart out. People need to hear this poem....
rhi x -
Blood has always soiled the soil and rivers of the world
in needless anger. As long as greed rules the world unfortunately it will continue. Tis hard to draw the world
together when basic thoughts and well as dozens of religions
keep them in flux. Maybe someday we can drop all pretences
of who is right and simply be...the family of man...
Happy Holidays
Eddy -
A beautiful and heart wrenching piece. Well done
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This was a horrible dream that is reality to so many. It is horrible that we are going into our second Holiday season with soldiers who can not be with their families and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. Your prayer is a prayer that we all should pray everyday, as so many inncocent lives are being taken and most a lot of those lives are the young. War does not discriminate and for those of us who can not see the full effect we do not realize how bad it really is. I am hoping and praying myself that Iraq will soon see peace and be able to start to begin to rebuild their country instead of continue to destroy it.
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Excellent
Not only is this born of pain, it is born of truth. The earth groans and weeps and is about to die. She nor mankind can take any more of such mindless wickedness.
Pari, you carried me with you into that dream: this is just how well-wrritten this glorious piece has been penned by your golden, loving quill. It is too late, thus I praise the Lord daily that He is about to arrive to put a stop to evil's carnage.
Love and hugs, BonnieQ
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The tigris is a river it flows through Baghdad Iraq, the poem is about the war and about innocent civilians being killed, Scheherezade was the lady who told the arabian nights to the sultan, they too lived in Baghdad, on one of the crosroads there is or was a statue of a reclining Sultan Shahryar and Scheherazade recounting the tales to him. I guess this will make it easy to understand the poem
Edited on Nov 22, 1:54 because ''. -
I didnt understand it either, but I liked the rhyme, and it was well written. You can see true talent. I have had those dreams where you wake up and you just want to write whatever comes out. Nice job, keep em coming!
Sarah -
i didnt really understand this but i think it is very well written
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Emotional and sad
A very sad and yet a truthful poem. Violence breeds violence and no one has the right to take away lives like garbage as is done in the present day wars with missiles that could destroy mountians and kill multitudes in one go.
War and violence breeds only destruction and chaos wherever they are done. Race, creed and colour are of no importance when it comes to destruction.
Yes, it is horror when we even think of these wars waged where most dying are innocents.
Love from India - Joel - -
I strongly believe in your battle against the war of our Nation and do feel this pain of the war in Iraq that will only grow in intensisty of becoming worse.
Great dialouge amongst all people with due respect and understanding is the only possible solution to the war on oil.
sad but validly true
Tamara
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I dont think killing in any country is going to solve any problems at all. What is needed is inter religious dialogue and understanding between peoples more than any thing else, it is something all of us in our own ways should try to achieve. Polarisations of countries peoples religions is not the answer to peace, only acceptance respect understanding is and this can be achieved only through dialogue.
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So sad, I feel like, I am living in the twilight zone, with the world gone mad, and it really is all about oil, what ever misfortunate land than caps vast oil pits will be ravished, for it is the great race to get it before another country does, and the greedy on all sides that barter with innocent lives. Places that have nuclear weapons, but no oil, are barely given a second glance, places where aids, and murder reign are not helped, and no concern about environmental degradation. You would think that a civilization that could send a energized probe into interstellar space could come up with an alternate renewable energy sorce, one that didn't cost lives, deplete resources, or create pollution, and climate change. Who is paying attention to these dire consequences? Oh, so sad, so mad! Idiots, the leaders of our dying world. PEACE.. Diane
Edited on Nov 21, 3:28 p.m. because ''. -
I love the imagry you create with this poem. It is very beautiful. It is very profound and I love the use of words. It is captivating. Great Job.
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tiny tots roasted into tater tots, and mothers in their birkas full of shrapnel holes, and young boys who pointed a stick at a soldier, with half a face gone from an armor piercing bullet, and any errant movement whether tending sheep or simply exiting a building or crossing the road can bring sudden death on all sides, and the numbers keep rising on civilians deaths and the occupiers are instructed not to keep count, alas would it not shame them into trying to kill less innocencnts if they knew how many they had already wasted....we need to kill terrorist or be killed, but we need to honor those who are not in every possible way, by trying to avoid killing them as well, it is a difficult task, and there are no easy answers....I say pork juice sprayed with crop dusters over all of the cities, and that will render all martyrs back into "I want to live men!, because by being made unclean they will no longer have the promise of 72 virgins and paradise, and by attacking their faith as they have attacked ours for centuries we remove the desire to die by them being so out of favor with allah......who would not embraced a pork soaked believer......lol....great poem, sad sad tale that has only just begun, the fanatics here have been granted four more years to kill in the wrong country, when iraq is importing terrorist to iraq, and bin laden is video messaging his plans, and our failures to us......Artis
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An amazing poem of our times - And sadly I feel it will get worse as the wounds fester - Albert.
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i find the form and the format to be intriguing and yes,it is a classic for it speaks from a classic heart.this is like you have witnessed this,not just dreamed of it.it shows your total compassion and empathy for what is transpiring in iraq.
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I think this poem has merit. I wouldn't call it a classic, but it is what it is. I guess I'm not such a fan of retro language. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck. Don't let the gator bite off your leg.
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really great poem, some really nice conversions i especially liked:
Craters are where once were homes,
full of love, laughter and safety.
with one bomb turned to a tomb,
what was once a sanctuary.
i never would have thought of that, its just a fascinating transformation. great rhyming and form and a really thoughtful creation of something out of the ashes of something terrible. -
Thanks
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GREAT
Everytime I read one of your poem u amaze me where was all this talent hidden.Great work sis dear.There is so much to say but so few words.I am feeling totally emotional after reading this.
Edited on Nov 20, 6:29 p.m. because ''.
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