France Riots - It Is Time To Regain Serenity And Reverence Poem by Bernedita Rosinha Pinto

No one ever wants to die
but the end of life is one phenomena
which no one can resist or justify;
it is said that all those who live,
will live by their time and perish by their fate
for that is what is written in the book of life;

sometimes we disagree with the lifespan
sometimes we blame others as we depart;
no one wants to welcome sorrow or grief
everyone wants to be joyful and jubilant
but just like the air that we inhale
we exhale it out to keep breathing
for that is what birth and death signifies
that as we respire, we will live
as we stop we will expire;

and if sudden death ever occurs,
rage rises like fireworks in the skies
as the shock puts the mind in a clock of denial
while emotions torch anger, outcry and agitation;
so as men reacts adversely to grave situations
one forgets peace and loses one's own courage;
and as the rules of life are so invincible
death does come someday in some way
whether it is the gunshot or the sword
whether it is the accident or the fatality
whether it is the old age or the illness
one has no escape route nor a truck
to run and conceal oneself in a quarry
to save oneself from one's prophecy.

and as no one wants to forget Nahel,
no one wants to stop bereaving
but there is no worthiness in violence
as the end of life is not the end of justice;
it is the beginning of grief
it is the beginning of truth and sorrowing;
and it is only consolation and courage,
it is only solidarity and serenity
that will heal the fresh wounds of your disparity;

no one wants to sit and retrospect
no one wants to stop and turn back the page
when the book has written its verse;
will you be there to grieve and riot
when many more memories will arise
when upon that bridge of racism will walk
another Nahel or another George Floyd
but if you have no resilience today
where will you find your fortitude
if today you stand there and shudder
if today you stand there and revolt
when will you be praying for Nahel
and changing situations for better?

when will you aim at reforms
so that such injustice never happens again
so that such story is never repeatedly heard of-
where in those moments of
helplessness and mercilessness,
the innocence of a person
is miscalculated and misjudged
that a gunshot gets fired
which takes a person down
without any chance for explanations.

O' the vulnerability, the inhumanity
one confronts in such situations
where death keeps pulling him or her apart
and putting a life beneath the ground
as the one who is defenseless, powerless
cannot even whisper with a feeble voice
to say - 'please let me survive';

so calm down France, calm down
and visualize the plight of those
who are facing the hardships, the troubles
you are causing to the people around you
when they have not caused the death;
so do not jeopardize the life of others
as they do not deserve the punishment;
for life is a train that travels ruggedly
no matter how tough or rough is the terrain,
how high or low are the mountains
how loving or repulsive are the travelers
how exhausting or enjoyable is the journey
it still takes you to that final destination
which awaits you
whether it is the home
or whether it is the eternal paradise.