The Beggars Tale
By Daniyal Khan Jadoon
Painted all the rocks on the road with red,
My feet ache now.
My head hurts, now,
Vary of the path that lies ahead.
I continue on the road to my salvation, but
Everywhere I leave my heart, awaits destruction
Every city I visit, keep locked their inn.
Every city I love, turns to ash and to ruin.
The skies ahead are grey with gloom
And the mountains barren of affection,
All the streams run still with silence
And the rocks on the road, red with passion.
There is no sleep or song,
For the man who does not belong,
For the man who is not strong.
And the road, my dear, very long.
A beggar that has clothes of purple,
On his head: a crown of bottomless blue.
He’s travelled through lands, once fertile,
On a quest: looking for you.
The black curtains of night do bring me sorrow,
Knowing: it won’t be any better tomorrow.
Oh what pain I feel I cannot share!
As molten tears melt away my mind:
My heart screams violent anguish!
O but foul tongue does not care.
Flames of vibrant orange
In this land that was once foreign,
Call to me and say
All beggars must pray:
But god has left my side.
Now with eyes of stone, seeping sorrow:
This shadow, I continue to follow.
In whom do I now confide?
All have left my side.
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Daniyal Khan Jadoon is a proud Pakistani, poet and independent filmmaker who has previously worked for Incision Films and is currently studying film in Istanbul’s Kadir Has University. He has been part of the university’s committee for the 2020 EUFA (European University Film Awards). His most recent film, Khwaabon Kay Andheray has been selected by the university to be included in their 2020 highlight reel and can currently be viewed on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xK3oV-3Jf3w
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