Ghazal - My Country

Economic strain has made deep inroads into her and hardship walks on her highway. She’s far from dawn.
She walks with shackled feet. Gloom pervades her room chasing away dawn.

Bounty days are long gone,
We await the promised new dawn.

The rugged road makes it difficult to move on,
Dark moments are chauffeured by dawn.

Banditry and abduction are not forgone,
These are twin ills that come to the table at dawn.

An old craft to lean on,
Different strategies are devised before dawn.

Hope is feeble and withdrawn,
There’s an exodus at each dawn.