They were the children of the nation,

The youth of the world,

They were the current students,

And the future leaders.

 

We are left shaken,

Awaken,

Innocent lives

Have been taken.

 

Heinous actions,

Killing in vain,

An act of cruelty

From the inhumane.

 

To all those who are bad,

The villains, so to speak,

Have a look inside of you,

All the way deep,

And can you really tell me

that you like what you see?

That this evil incarnate,

Is what you want to be?

 

From little kids

To teenagers,

We have lost our own,

Young lives lost,

Countless forever gone.

 

They had only begun their lives,

Embarked on their journey.

Now instead they reached a roadblock,

Carried out on a gurney.

 

Is this the future of humanity?

The slaughter of the innocent,

Is this the death of purity?

The murder of the young,

The disfigurement of oneself?

This is a blemish on the face of mankind,

A scar on ourselves.

 

This is the world in which many must live,

Where routine isn’t games and fun,

But is rather a pattern of threats and guns;

Where life is not a guarantee,

But rather a blessed and free captivity;

Where everyday is another day,

Until it isn’t.

 

In a world where so many

Are pure and kind,

There live a few

So heartless and cruel,

That the face of the world

Is marred by the scars

Of those best hidden

In the dark.

 

But these monsters exist,

They still live on,

Taking the lives of countless others,

For no apparent reason.

132 children dead.

Many families broken.

How many will die

Before their depravity is realized?

 

They have no heart,

No soul,

And no God,

For the murders of innocent children

Is a crime against all of humanity,

And the world will never tolerate

This act of enmity.

 

We will never be suppressed,

Repressed,

We will continue to fight,

To stand tall and defeat,

These heartless beasts.

 

This is time for introspection,

Self-reflection,

Look at your heart,

And see whether it is clean,

Be assured

That it will continue to beat

Only for the pure.

 

Though these children no longer live,

They will always be alive,

In the hearts of everyone,

An eternal life.

 

We can only find hope

And pray for their peace,

They will be found in heaven,

In the house of God,

Their souls smiling,

Their voices rising.

Never to be silenced.

 

*Note: This poem is dedicated to the victims of the recent 2014 Taliban attack at the Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan.