Poem for Sunday: Blood Red

by Mahia Chowdhury

I woke up to a sky of blood red.
I fear for my life but silence seems to evade me,
My censored screams
           melt,
Fade into the background.
I struggle to free myself from the vicious grip of a man who was
once

human.
I took one look into his eyes,
And I cried
For I saw the devil.
The look of bloodlust and hunger for more.
As if  wasn't human.
As if I didn't matter.
He laughed at my panic;
He sensed it,
He craved it.
I mean nothing more than a pile of dirt
Because of my skin
My culture
My beliefs
Because of who I am.
The devil took one last look at me
And with a flash of silver plunged in my chest he took away
my skin
My culture
My beliefs
Who I am.

With that, I let out my final cry,
My final thought,
My final breath.
And all I saw was blood red.


Based on the Declaration of Human Rights, Articles 5 and 2:
5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
2: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.