I had listened to a stranger,
Whom I had never met.
He told me he'd give me money
If I accepted his bet.
I sat down and
Thought for days on end,
I asked what I would do,
What would I attend?
He pointed to a house
At the end of a haunted lane,
It looked like it would break
It had no windows on its pane.
I opened the door,
It made a loud creak.
I felt like calling back to him,
But I just could not speak.
I was really scared,
I heard a rumble,
But I continued and
Prayed in a mumble.
I saw a ghost,
I saw a witch,
I saw a troll,
Coming out of a ditch.
I stood still,
I froze.
I never knew if it were real,
I couldn't move my toes.
One thing went through my head,
And softly I said I, 'I wish I
Had not, listened to
The stranger.
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'Terrorism' to the pseudo-intellectual is merely another word. In fact, that is how the media manipulates it to boost ratings. It is seen off-and-on in papers, on the news, the local radio etc.; critics refer to it as 'just another bane of contemporary society'; for reporters, it has become a poem that must be recited day after day on camera; dictionaries may call it 'the calculated use of violence to inculcate fear, intended to coerce or intimidate governments into complying with irrational demands'. But is that all there is to it? Is that all this phenomena is feared for? Is that all it needs to cause global devastation, shaking society to its very foundation?
No. The essence of this nine-letter word is perhaps, to a great extent, beyond its perception. It is past the mind-frame of those who interpret it the way it is presented to them on Star News or in The Times of India. It is but an evil- one that has its roots deep within the human race. It is a parasite, eating away at civilization, trying to lure more and more people into its malicious beliefs and slaying those whom it can't.
What we used to think of as a 'bane of contemporary society' has grown to be far worse. It is now a way of life. Almost a religion equipped fully with norms, rituals goals and above all- followers. Followers who are answerable to no supreme power except the recurring refrain of bombs and the agonizing melody of death. And judging by what we've seen, the numbers can only go on increasing.
Now, this whole issue could either be a horrific nightmare which has truly had its impact on our minds, leaving us numb and petrified…or it could be real. The way I see it, it is one hundred percent real, and there's just no stopping it. Just no stopping it…
Arnav Sharma, 10 A
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