Beige. Torn tapestry and faded paint;
Air smelling of dead rats and drying laundry.
Grey. Clouds looming over the dark ocean;
People tinted with horror, else void.
Red. Blood that splattered the mosque walls;
Burnt Qurans and exploded bodies.
White. Hospital roof with creaking fans;
Sirens echoing in the distance.
Green. The coffin that carried my brother;
With a hundred other upon the Earth’s bosom.
Blue. His hate filled eyes
Loaded gun spitting on burqas.
Black. The shadow of your silence.
An impregnant rifle aimed at my hopes.
Poem by A. Narayan
Illustration by Namrata Nirmal
Article 19 