How does it feel to live life normally?
Not worried that anytime now, you might just literally go insane,
Waking up, falling sleep, walking around, ever so casually,
Not breathing and living every moment without pain.

May we please, for a little while at least, have your undivided attention,
Very soon, we may just become nothing more than a mere mention,
This could be the last time you even see or hear so many of us,
Living in such pain is becoming overbearingly torturous.

So many pent-up boiling and bleeding feelings we harbour inside,
So many times that we’ve said we’re alright, we’ve lied,
So many times, we’ve wished that you never just left it at that, and actually pried,
So many times, we’ve just curled ourselves up and cried,
And as much as we hate to confess this… So many times, we’ve thought about suicide.

Imagine being the parent of a seriously ill child and being told that they’re faking it..
Now put yourselves in the shoes of the afflicted,
All expressions here are just the tip of the depicted,
Behind smiles and make-up, all our grief encrypted,
Our whole life, slowly but surely, getting constricted.

Make no mistake about it though, this isn’t our last hurrah, nor a suicide note,
In these turbulent waters of life, we WILL stay afloat.

Yes, we will get angry. Yes, we will get sad,
Yes, we will throw tantrums, and lament over what we could have had.
But we’re still alive and kicking for a reason,
Surviving and conquering every trial and season.

We’re NOT giving up, we’re NOT staying down,
There WILL be a time when we’re proudly flaunting our crown.

So don’t you dare underestimate us, we ain’t no joke,
The sleeping dragon within us, enough times has been poked.

Standing tall, riding high,
Forget walking, we’re destined to fly,
No one to stop us, however hard they try,
Brace yourselves ladies and gentlemen, the time is nigh..

Fellow warriors, beloved heroes and heroines, lend me an ear!
Hear this call, pay heed to this heartfelt cry,
Whatever we’re going through, wherever we are, there’s a definite reason why it’s not yet our time to die.

For anytime now, we WILL conquer this merciless enemy,
Slay this beast and bury it in the cemetery,
And together with our tireless efforts, and The Almighty’s wisdom and decree,
Finally, and forever thereafter, be happily and joyfully, pain-free!

(Abdullah Panjwani)