The accounts of God's prophet and messenger,
Joseph (Yusuf), the favourite son of Jacob (Yaqoob).
As revealed in the scriptures over the centuries,
Sift the truth and reality of facts from the falsehood,
That many a lettered 'divine' cleric may have tried to give,
In his own selfish motive and attempt,
To 'beautify' the most beautiful -- God's own revelations,
As inspired to His chosen messengers to the nations,
Spanning every dominion and region,
Of good and evil, rewards and destruction,
Hell and Paradise in His infinite dominion.
So are the newsmen and women of today,
Not all of them though -- not some too --
But several who with propaganda play.
Yet history supports truth and erases lies,
The Neros and Hitlers live but everyone dies...
And like Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who was victimised,
Persecuted, betrayed and vilified,
Through a mock murder trial by the dictator Zia,
Is now reincarnated and rightly glorified,
ZAB* was a hero and a hero he shall remain,
As history mocks Ziaul Haq's domain,
His hunger for power and his zeal to fool people,
In the name of "Islam" he grew more ignoble,
And while ZAB is today a martyr of the nation,
Loved by the people who venerate freedom...
Zia the dictator blew up in the air
In 1988 August when the weather wasn't fair.
Today Zia is regarded as the murderer of ZAB.
While history gives accolades to what ZAB had.
Author's Notes/Comments:
*YUSUF AND YAQOOB: Arabic names of God's prophets and messengers known in the Bible as Jacob and Joseph.
*ZAB: The initials that stand for the late and most popular prime minister of Pakistan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the father of martyred Benazir Bhutto and the father-in-law of the present president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari. The initials ZAB describe him more aptly as compared to his full name in the age we live in today. ZAB was "murdered" by military dictator and the man who overthrew him in a coup on July 5, 1977, promising a neutral election within 90 days and clinging on to power from July 1977 to August 17, 1988, when he was killed (blown up to pieces) in an aircraft mishap after the plane took off from Bahawalpur Airport. History and unbiased, impartial historians (men and women both) of today accord General Ziaul Haq the disgraced title of a "dictator", "military usurper", and above all...a traitor....whereas ZAB is recognized by history as the foremost champion of democracy Pakistan has had after its partition from Great Britain in August 1947.
This poem is a brief overview of news vs propaganda...as I myself happen to be an active journalist...over the years (1984 to the present day) in the print and electronic media of several newspapers, weeklies, periodicals and government-owned and privately owned television channels worldwide. As an Editor today I have rediscovered the truth of what the wise and old peers -- who were also my mentors and teachers in journalism -- that news is crowned by history whereas propaganda and gossip slide into the dirty, stinking gutters of slums where no decent man, woman or child would like to even go...even for a moment or two. This poem is also a partial -- if not full - inspiration "trigerred" by the one written by fellow Poet poems poetess, Melissa Lundeen's: "A Kidnapper's Paradise". But again, I would like to point it out to the poetess, that it is not the anchor's fault --- no way -- it is the fault of the producer of the news programme/documentary and the Executive News Producer. After all Melissa, everybody is not Larry King or the late Howard Cossell ...what to say of Oprah Winfrey or the ever brilliant Sir David Frost! Thank you whatsoever....you inspired me...to say the least!
Well..................
I'm an inspiring gal, what else can I say? laughs. Thanks for the accolades Sir Poet. Glad I could be of some assistance in some small manner. Enjoyed the read. You know who!........... so why type it?