A Land Without People for a People Without A Land...

Midnite · #1 12-05-06, 11:56 PM

Yusef has been an orphan since he was five,
going from relative to relative to stay alive,
his father was killed by soldiers when he was 3,
coming home from work, the occupiers labeled him an enemy,
when he was 5, a smart bombed destroyed his house,
killing his mother and sister, leaving a burial mound,
when he was 10, he met a freedom fighter and hero,
a man of the people, a local savior,
he would mentor young Yusef, turn him into a warrior,
if need be, he would die fighting, and be a martyr,
72 virgins? No need, this wasn't about the afterlife,
this was about freedom and the right to survive,
at 16, he put on an explosive belt and made his way,
to the same checkpoint that his father was slain,
just 50 meters away, he looked down the barrel of a gun,
deadman trigger pressed, Yusef felt that he had won...

Joseph has been an orphan since he was six,
taken in by an uncle who was always sick,
his father was killed manning a checkpoint when he was five,
killed by a terrorist in a business man's disguise,
the next year, his mother took him to a cafe,
to this day, Joseph has never felt safe,
at 16, he joined the army to fulfill his duty,
a week later, his uncle died when terrorists started shooting,
he was assigned to man a checkpoint at 18,
the sameone that had been his father's murder scene,
in the distance, he saw a man walk awkwardly,
with gun in hand, he approached the man cautiously,
50 meters from the checkpoint, the two men stopped,
anywhere else, and this scene would've appeared odd...

Joseph, hand steady, finger over the trigger,
Yusef, hand steady, finger already on the trigger,
the two stared at one another waiting for their cue,
because both knew what they had to do,
together they recited a silent prayer,
and together, they would soon meet their maker,
two sounds and a bright flash,
exposed the very nature of man....