Child of War

"The Sleeping Beauty"

There are so many secrets that the koh-e-murdar keeps
The biggest is the secret of the lovely lady who sleeps

Since long ago people have been intrigued by what they see
wondering how the sleeping beauty of Quetta came to be

Some say it was Farhad who carved an image in the stone
of his sleeping Shireen so that he would never feel alone

Some say it's of Mujnu's Layla when she last closed her eyes
a permanent reminder for us all that true love never dies

For me it doesn't matter if either of these silly stories is true
because when I look at the sleeping beauty all I see is you

The "sleeping beauty" of Quetta

"Abandoned"

With tears in her eyes a desperate mother pleads
"Please take in my son I can not fulfill his needs"

The guard at the orphanage has to send her away
She's the third such mother to show up here today

In frustration she abandons her boy on the street
praying that God will provide a way for him to eat

Tears start falling down his sad sweet young face
"Please mother don't leave me alone in this place"

Her heart is breaking as she leaves hearing him cry
It's better this way she thinks than seeing him die

Today that abandoned boy is singing for some cash
maybe tonight he won't have to eat from the trash

"Child of War"

An Afghan child of war is what I see
sitting down there in front of me
His baba's old rifle nestled in his arm
ever ready to do his enemy harm
His eyes looking at every passing face
trying to find one out of place
He remembers the words his baba said
"Sleep is a luxury for the dead
One must do whatever it takes to survive
It's not easy here staying alive"
Words passed down to every Afghan son
as he's given his baba's old gun
In a part of this cruel world not that far away
where little children only wish they could play

"August 19th 2009"

Please don't say Happy "Independence" Day to me
Our beloved Afghanistan is far from being free

They say we're a democracy now and should rejoice
we have elections but do we really have a choice?

It's been eight long years now since the Taliban fell
yet most of our Afghanistan is still a living hell

So please tell me what is their for us to celebrate today
as our people are killed by the Taliban and the USA?

Explosions instead of fireworks light up our Afghan sky
as more and more of our innocent people die

"The Next One Dead"

"Kabul"

Everyone's life in Kabul hangs by a thread
One wrong move and you'll end up dead

Of the American forces people live in fear
knowing what happens if you get too near

Who is your enemy and who is your friend
depends on how much money you spend

Kabul jan my eyes were not prepared to see
Your inhabitants still living in so much misery

Even your universities are still falling apart
To see you like this brings pain to my heart

Billions of dollars in aid where did it all go?
From looking around one would never know

*Inspired by a note about my friend Lmar Ghaljai's current trip to Kabul. Please pray for his safe return home.

A suicide car bomb in Kabul earlier this year.