HEAVEN ON EARTH
In a world without choice and emotion,
In me there is but one notion,
To look back onto the world as it was before,
When we were burdened with daily war.
Too many times do we forget the pain we must take,
And close our eyes whereas we must awake,
To view the world through our sensitive eyes,
Those other worldly things that we do not despise.
Must we forget love, joy, and affection;
The most pleasurable feelings of our inner protection?
Is grief, sorrow, anger, and dejection
The reason for our life's choice for this world's rejection?
To find what peace there may be in silence,
To refrain from our self-inflicted abuse and violence.
Seeking every happiness that this world does hold,
Searching for hidden truths that we must unfold.
The world is a paradise to those who think,
Knowing that in every step there is a sweet song at its brink.
In every heart there is a part that does feel
That the belief that there is heaven on earth is undoubtedly real.
©Copyright December 2002 by Siddika Hirji
Analogy of the Poem, "Heaven on Earth"
The character is on the floor, head bowed low, sitting, eyes closed, crouched, but face not covered by the hands or knees. He has created his own prison, in darkness. It is in fact night time, and he is on a balcony. Underneath are stores, street lights, glowing, but all he can "see" is darkness.
The sky is clear, and he is sitting amidst the bright stars above. Even though it is only one line afterwards, there is a passage of time. Then, a "ray" of light sparks into his mind, and a sudden glow of warmth and understanding pervades his heart. His eyes open, not completely, but as deep in thought. He is whispering to himself, not words, but sounds, as though saying "my God" repeatedly, of questioning what he is thinking, and what he was thinking before.
He shuts his eyes again, lips pursed, moving slightly. Only he shuts his eyes hard as in deep thought. Now he raises his head and opens his eyes, this time completely, sits up straight, and the arms that rested on his knees are wrapped around his waist. He rocks his body, breathes in deeply and exhales slowly, his mouth shaped like an "O". He bites his lip, teeth just touching the lip, and THEN the next three lines come in-he wants to change and fight back.
Meanwhile, he has stopped rocking back and forth, his breathing is heavier, he is blinking his eyes more rapidly, and though he turns his head around in several different directions, he is in fact starring into space.
The next four lines pass in his head as quickly as we would read them. Meanwhile, his face is still stolid, but he seems visibly more alert, no longer staring into space. When the interrogative sentences come, his facial expression changes to that of a puzzled yet more contented look. Through the next lines, he basically just changes the expression on his face slightly every now and then (there still is a passage of time, though not much). His breathing becomes even easier, and he begins to stretch. Before the last two lines have come, he gets up and slowly walks to the balcony rail. He then stands staring at the bright lights below.
At the end, he unstiffens, puts his arms on the balcony rail, leans forward, one leg ahead of the other, and his lips part into a smile.