My Poems

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A Reminder

You talk of the weather,
And other trivialities,
Such as the price of this and that,
Your holidays in the Bahamas,
Your round the world cruise,
Your favourite pub,
Your aches and pains,
Your annoying neighbours,
Your weight loss or gain,
Your stressful job,
Your dreadful boss,
Your horrible dentist,
Your cat’s diarrhoea.

While in my homeland far away,
My countrymen and women are dying
From poverty,
From torture,
From injuries,
From poisoning,
From chemical warfare,
From extreme exhaustion,
Working as slaves,
From HIV and Aids,
From malaria and other diseases,
From unlawful execution.

Please give a thought to my people who suffer because of war
Their lives are torn apart and everyday is like a living hell
So much struggle and fear just to survive
And not knowing what tomorrow may bring

I left my country years ago but there has never been a day
When I don’t think of my people
I have all the privilege one would expect
Being an exile in a free country
But how can I ever forget where I come from
And all the friends and loved ones
Who taught me so much
When I was growing up
And that special part of my life
That I left behind?

Now they are suffering because of war
I feel helpless and sad
So I try to help from miles away
By spreading the word about my country

But when I try to tell you about my story
And all the hardship the people are going through,
You say “Oh, how dreadful that such things are happening,
These things shouldn’t be allowed!”
As night draws in you close your curtains
And enjoy your favourite TV soap,
Along comes another day and you have forgotten it all.

This is my plea to you people out there –
When you climb into your soft beds at night,
Please give a thought and a prayer for the people of Burma,
Please do not forget about their suffering,
Where people are dying because of:-
POVERTY!
TORTURE!
INJURIES!
POISONING!
CHEMICAL WARFARE!
EXTREME EXHAUSTION FROM FORCED LABOUR!
HIV AND AIDS!
MALARIA AND OTHER DISEASES!
UNLAWFUL EXECUTION! 
Please do whatever you can to help
Before it is too late. 

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People too easily forget about Burma, because of war and atrocities in other countries which are in the news now-a-days.  We need to keep reminding them because with persistence, determination and effort we will succeed.

“My people died from hunger, and he who did not perish from starvation was butchered with the sword; and I am here in this distant land, roaming amongst a joyful people who sleep upon soft beds, and smile at the days while the days smile upon them.  And oftentimes they say unto me, the disaster of your country is but naught to calamity of the world, and the tears and blood shed by your people are as nothing to the rivers of blood and tears pouring each day and night in the valleys and plains of the earth." - Kahlil Gibran

 

Feraya

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