Untethered we are,

Glass walls around; to know he’s a peasant; he’s a czar.

We made these walls,

Deafening ourselves to each other’s calls.

Eyes averting eyes,

Oblivious to wretched cries.

Somehow it’s them and us and not just us,

And thus,

I see you every day, you greet me every day, but these walls stand tall,

Amidst humanity’s unprecedented fall.

We go back to our shells because somehow those long before us decided,

We are different beings; doomsday would break loose if our worlds ever collided.

As if we haven’t unleashed hell ever since we decided,

We’re different.

So I wallow in my own sorrow as you spiral in your own darkness,

Somehow mortifying solitude is deemed better than a stranger’s kindness.

Untethered we are,

Craving a glimpse of light amidst this timeless war,

We created, yet an apology is overdue.

We live to only see an endless blue.

Until of course, you do the uncalled-for,

You reach out your hand; I reach out more,

Hands, two shades apart,

But we are holding hands, and that’s a start,

To hold and hug and speak ever so gently,

I hear a dove in the distance sing faintly.

Who knew a hand could rekindle a life?

A hope, an epiphany; we have to end this heedless strife!

It was never them and us,

It has always been just us,

And thus,

Please don’t let go of my hand,

We’ll live together, lovingly, on the very same land.

We will make it out of this eternal pang,

We’ll live together, differences and all,

Yin and yang.

About the Poet 

Isra Allana is a poet from Middlesex University.