I can’t breathe

I can’t breathe
When I see humans defending
Their meaningless arrogance,
Torturing the vulnerable
With their destructive powers
Merely to be able to appoint themselves
As the supposed winners!

I can’t breathe
When I read of animals or even humans
Being killed in cruel ways
Either by being fed with explosives
Or by being raped at immature ages
Thereby making of life on Earth
A real tragedy, more so,
Since, the perpetrators
Are none other than humans themselves!

I can’t breathe
Whether am on land or in chin deep waters
As the dirt amassed
Is suffocating me
Being reflected in the eyes of those
Who sneer at me
Mocking my questionings and my purity
And spitting at me venom, potent enough
To have me shed tears of blood!

I can’t breathe, and
Neither can Earth
Nor can the Gods
What was initially sculpted to be a fallen Heaven
Has turned out to be filthier
Than Hell
Even if the same essence animates us all,
The same blood runs through us all
And our bodies react the same
When faced either with the new virus
Or with the whims of Death!

I can’t breathe
Divided we are, each pretentiously standing
On the lines that ground us to those
Who are like us,
But, each of us, hiding in our hearts,
The monster of Selfishness, ready to
Kill and maim those who hinder us on
Our paths!

I can’t breathe
But I can join my hands
And pray
To ask that the Gods
Open their eyes and allow us all
Some means to save our souls!

Anoucheka Gangabissoon is a Primary School Educator in Mauritius. She writes poetry and short stories as hobby. She considers writing to be the meaning of her life as she has always been influenced by all the great writers and wishes to be, like them, immortalized in her words. Her works can be read on poetrysoup.com and she had also appeared in various literary magazines like SETU, Different Truths, Dissident Voice, In Between Hangovers Press, WISH Press, Tuck’s Magazine, Blue Mountain Review, among others. She has also been published in Duane’s Poetree and also in two anthologies for the Immagine and Poesia group. Her poems are often placed in free online contests Read other articles by Anoucheka.