Inkling 2025 - Flipbook - Page 9
All Mothers
Bleed the Same
by Maryam Khattak
Since we developed in her womb, she has been our reliance
As she pours her love into indelible service
Heedless of our hefty weight, she carried us in her arms
Undettered by her fatigue, she soothed our backs as we drifted asleep
In the depths of winter, she still puts socks on our feet
Unaware it’s her sunlit soul that provides the warmth we need
Despite her aching back, her devotion hardly falters
For she knows she is our protector—an irreplaceable 昀椀gure
Her heart, like an ironclad shield, guards us from catastrophe
Even though her body trembles, she stands strong for her children—her priority
Mothers around the globe share the same instinct for intimacy
So, why do you turn a blind eye to the ones in agony?
While you sit safely beside yours, ignorantly?
The press release states, “Two mothers are killed in Gaza every hour”
Yet with blithe indi昀昀erence, you sco昀昀, unbothered
Heedless of all the Palestinian sons and daughters
What if it were your mother, lying dead and trampled like a withered 昀氀ower?
Kneeling over her corpse, begging for God’s mercy to shower
Upon you and your siblings, asking for the strength and power
To endure this calamity and continue without your dear mother
Maryam is the 2nd place winner in the Poetry
category for this year’s Teen Writing Contest.
