Poem for the Day: Muslim Child

Muslim Child

– by Rukhsana Khan

Muslim Child

Child of Peace

Child of War

From a far-off distant shore

What do your black eyes see?

My eyes are not only black

Sometimes they are blue as the sky

or green as the tropical sea

Or brown as the trunk of a palm tree

And every shade in between.

My skin can be black as molasses

Or pink as the blush on a rose

As golden as freshly made honey

Or dark copper brown as a penny

And every shade in between.

I am the richest of the rich

And the poorest of the poor

As famous as famous can be

A general’s child, pampered and bored

A solider’s child, orphaned by war

And every rank in between.

I come from many countries

Speaking many languages

But with one set of beliefs.

I believe in Noah and Jesus and Abraham

Muhammad and Moses and in God who sent them

And in every messenger in between.

(God bless them)

So then,

Muslim Child

Child of Peace

 What do your black eyes see?

 

I see that we’re each a piece in

the puzzle of humanity;

I’ll try to understand you if

You try to understand me.

SOURCE: Muslim Child. A Collection of Short Stories and Poems by Rukhsana Khan. Napolean Publishng, 1999. 72 pages. 0929145161X