Yusrah M. Dzukogi

A Garden of Light

Religious freedom isn’t just a right on pages,

it should be a song on every lip,

a melody that plays where we all belong.

For it’s not about the walls we build against ourselves as religions,

but the bridges we build for love,

the peace we ignite therefrom,

and the harmony it creates.

Diversity isn’t adversity,

but an art of creativity.

Listen,

We are threads woven through a tapestry of beliefs.

Each strand: a story, a journey, a sacred breath of life.

In this land, we walk not in silence,

but in many hallowed mighty songs.

Voices rise, chanting love and harmony.

My faith isn’t a prison, but a garden of light.

Your faith isn’t a prison, but a garden of light.

Your light, my light, should crystallize the earth.

I do not have to enshroud myself in fear.

I do not have to hide or be killed for what I believe.

For in the depths of our hearts, no truth needs to be subjective.

Truth is plural.

Plural is not selfish.

She Beams, Though

Last November,

she remembered how the hope she yearned

scorched the moon mask with the night clouds

alongside her wobbling heart,

tripling back and forth,

waiting for the moment to dash away.

It seemed so close,

yet still far.

Hands trembling,

lips charred,

nose red,

and eyes cracked.

Holding her breath

as if it would bring the future right to her face—

scanning, yearning for serenity,

the one her dead soul left with,

the one she once had

close to her toes,

with so much ease.

She always had it

in her dreams.

Well, it’s February now,

and she beams—tho

she still has

the same ordeals.

Should I Write?

Should I write about my country’s game of politics—

how it has held down thousands of lives,

how it has made our very worst nightmares come to reality?

Should I write about the blood

that floods through my mother’s flag?

Should I write about how it has, time and again, failed us?

Should I write about the hunger—

or the starvation to death?

Should I write about the insecurity,

or the grief that comes with it?

Should I write about the pick and plug?

Should I write about how the world

is turning into an ugly, smelly tunnel,

second by second—

so freaking fast,

yet we don’t even realize

how we’ve become

dead souls in man’s garment?

Should I write about a man’s deadly grievances?

Full of Rage

I am so full of rage.

From the depths to the surface,

inward and outward—

from my father’s hair

down to my mother’s toes.

But—

there’s this part of me:

Lovely and kind,

peaceful and optimistic,

hopeful and scared,

worried and unbothered,

haunted and empty,

chaotic and stifled,

unknown and exotic.

I am spirited and spiritless,

bright yet dim,

a heavy lusterless.

I am full of unknown.

I am uncharted—

and full of rage,

so full of rage.

Know This and Know Peace

This voice is the echo of many temples,

mosques, and churches

that inseminate peace in your hearts.

We pray in different places,

we bow in different ways.

We light candles,

and bow to the light in heaven,

but no matter the name we call the Divine,

it still bears the same essence.

If do me, I do you, God no go vex;

then do yours, I do mine—

country no go vex.

Everybody get him right.

In this land,

we share one heartbeat,

one signpost,

one blue sky—

but many stars,

and the same eternal glow,

with the same humanity.

Know this and know peace.

In the beauty of diversity,

in the beauty of accommodation,

we find our common grace,

common ground,

and common goal.

For peace is born

when we make room for every piece,

pieced together.

Religious freedom—

is a promise we must keep,

not just songs on our lips.

About the author

Yusrah M. Dzukogi is a passionate poet, who finds deep meaning in poetry and art, considering them among the most beautiful gifts life has to offer. Creativity is at the heart of my world, and I see poetry not just as an expression but as a way of life. With a background in International Relations, I have acquired a broad perspective on global affairs, culture, and human connections, which often influences my artistic expressions. My love for art extends beyond admiration, it’s an essential part of how I interpret and navigate the world.