Arina

CRIMINALISE WAR CLUB

3 Birds

An ode to the memory of those who perished or are still missing in the three 2014 Malaysia-related aircraft tragedies

by Puteri Fateh Arina Merican from Tunku Kurshiah College c o n t e s t a n t

104

CRIMINALISE WAR JUNE 2015

# 2

S

omeone once told me, the tale of three birds that flew away; Two went home One went astray.

They were birds of beauty red, white and blue; Ephemeral all lives may be ‘tis sad to end ere end is due.

The first vanished causing anguish; Is it in some ocean floor? or was it the isle of Diego that the bird was led to go?

The second died of murder with wings rent asunder by an unknown hunter; Was it downed by enemy fire or was it just a friendly blunder?

“THERE IS NO DENOUEMENT FOR THE MURDERS.” The third floated dead, like a mermaid, torn apart with feathers red;

So fly you pretty birds fly away from these borders; There is no denouement for the murders.

Her heart, heavy with dread, dreader still, to ferry the dead.

She, Gaia, buried the corpses, leaving them resting in the earth, knowing they would fly to Paradise and away from this confusing Universe.

She searched the seas for the first whose mysterious demise became an endless story of surmise as that is the woebegone of life.

The demon hides under cover of night even as we cry for the plight of the birds on flight;

A person I knew who flew with the birds, said, “if we won’t meet again as we breathe life, I will hold you close in the afterlife”.

And I hold on to his words, because the three birds, have flown to Paradise.

JUNE 2015 CRIMINALISE WAR

105

CRIMINALISE WAR CLUB

Gaia it was who found the second and the third that were downed;