There used to be a time
when Pete, you taught us to fight
There used to be a world
When Dr. King, you thought we could make a dream come true
There used to be a time when Joan’s voice
Could rouse sleeping men to stand for justice
When our tears fell, and we made them listen
We left our work, we left our schools
Because nothing mattered more than humanity
There used to be a time…
Raffah — that time is a fairy tale
Now the dreams, the words, the poems
Lie useless
Cast aside in neglect by the sewage pipes
The drains fester with greed and apathy
We have no hopes
We have no dreams.
Words don’t anger us anymore
Our eyes have no tears
Someday soon, this world will be a gone
Our stories, our fairy tales will all burn
The trees are choking
The waters are raging
While all along the Orcs of Saruman
Clank metal and fire
Making them bigger, better, lethal, indefatigable
The children exterminate
In a flame of smoke and rubble
White shroud on white shroud
But vengeance is near
Our dreams won’t come true.
As we look through our little bridles
Racing against time
The waters will take us all
The fires will burn it down
And then the world will heal
Without us all.
All will be right.
All will be right then.
Anwesha Bhattacharjee 