Weighing the Unbearable: The Tragic Reality of Gaza

By: Ershad Khan   Source: IslamiCity Oct 20, 2024 No Comments


This powerful poem by Ershad Khan reflects on the unimaginable suffering endured by families in Gaza, where the weight of human loss is measured in heartbreaking terms.

Through vivid imagery and raw emotion, the poet compares the triviality of personal concerns with the devastating reality of war, where loved ones are reduced to mere kilograms. The poem calls for empathy, conscience, and a global reckoning with the ongoing tragedy in Palestine.

How many kilograms do you weigh?
You frown and wonder
Why do I have to say!

Fair enough
It's your personal matter
There are more pressing issues
Handed on your platter
That you need to keep track of
Why worry about weight?
You rightfully scoff

How much do they weigh?
Your siblings, your spouse
Your children...
You get upset
In the audacity of the inquiry
Which is simply insane!

But you wouldn't feel that way
And would memorize
Exactly how much they weigh

Each of them...
Your parents, your siblings
Your spouse
And your beloved little children
Jewel of your eyes
Souls of your soul

You would exactly know
How many kilograms they weigh

If you were spending
Every moment in hellish Gaza
Where earth-shattering bombs and
White Phosphorous rain down
Relentlessly, night and day

'Cause when they 'accidentally'
Bomb your building, your familiar neighborhood
And turns it upside down for good
Somehow you still may survive
But your loved ones
You won't find them alive...

At least not in one piece
Shattered bones, scattered flesh
They will be
Unbearable sight
For any loved one to see
Yet that's the 'Gaza Reality.'

Dead family members
Were returned
Not in body bags
But in large trash bags
Whose remaining pieces were
Gathered, collected
And weighed in kilograms

Estimated, based on individual age
And the world just moved on
No words were uttered
Not even an iota of rage!

But I thought I'm not like them
So I wanted to weigh
Gathering all my rage
My sorrow, my empathy
My voice, my conscience
My piled-up grievance
And put them on the scale

It turns out
I'm just like them as well!

My eyes were focused
To get a reading in kilograms
When the needle moved
Only a few milligrams!

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