bloody wells

noor ali

the forgotten victims of 

            war

are not the dismembered parts on fields

            the limbs strewn on yellow grass

            twisted, gnarled, crooked pieces 

                              not the detritus of village dreamscapes 

                                    new concrete dusted pale 

                                    quilted fabric snagged between the layers 

                              not the incessant ethnic tension

                                    the boots ringing in our ears for seventy-five years 

                                    flashes of metal under the broad and brown shoulder

they are hidden underground

            bodies of dark, long, black braids 

viscous hair in pools 

the wells in Hindustan are stained red

of the blood from the jumps of 

my ancestors 

each one 

nothing but 

the prey of a soldier

                                    the prey of the indian uniform

the prey of the men who forced their way in. 

Noor Ali (she/her) is a poet and student at Albuquerque Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is passionate about the intersection between social justice and the art of storytelling, Noor spends her free time sorting through bookshelves, writing, or watching the murals of New Mexico sunsets.