A Poem, A Prayer, An Apology by Sameen Shakya

Written by Sameen Shakya

A Poem, A Prayer, An Apology by Sameen Shakya

Summary: ‘A Poem, A Prayer, An Apology’ is a poem by Sameen Shakya, a poet and writer based in Kathmandu, Nepal.

I dream of a world with no Poetry because
Think of what breeds verse? Historically, it’s always
War
Sadness
Dissatisfaction
Death
War
Genocide
Heartbreak
Death
War
War
War
Loss

As Graham Greene once said, in Italy
War, terror, and murder under the Borgias
Produced da Vinci, Michelangelo, and
The Renaissance, while 500 years of peace
And brotherhood led Switzerland to make
The cuckoo clock.
I’d rather live
In a world with a thousand cuckoo clocks
Than wake up to a child crying while cameras
Document that horror to millions/billions
Who can’t/won’t help. Let Poetry die.

In return, take tears, blood, and sorrow.
In return, let graves hold only the old.