Faith, Reason

By Hamza Mairajuddin

What force compels you?
To command this great power
To show your might, through dark and night
And make lesser men cower?

Is it the force of the divine that forms you?
To project yourself as so
Is the key for me
to free my mind and let my body go?

Is it the force of nature,
All powerful by design?
To seek the force that dictates space
and leave this place behind?

What methods must we use?
To serve you no disgrace
To take in knowledge and analyze
your unanalyzable state?

What power must exist, in the high heavens beyond

That would send you down-
His Grace, renown-
And my mortal self be found?

What methods must I use
To make light of this dark
To find the key that sets you free
To make knowledge clear and stark

Does the illusion withstand
The relentless probing
Or will we find only darkness behind
And evil’s senseless boding

They’re outside the door now
Knocking in His name
To harness power against the weak
And leave His world dismay

They’re on the threshold now,
Great wars rage outside
Your power is too much for us
I fear what I may find

What force compels us
To forsake our race
Why touch this beauty
Why mess with its grace

This has happened in the past, power twisted from above
To take His name
In force and in vain
Light left when Darkness came

We find the future, harness its glory
Before being ripped and sowed
And tied and rowed
To fight for our nation’s glory

What force forsakes us
To compel our race
To war each other
And make absence of: disgrace

No force of divine
No force of the earth
Should let our paths meet each other
Let’s leave our paths be

What force compels you
To move with such grace?

Leave now, good friend

Leave this godforsaken place

Biography

My name is Hamza Mairajuddin and I am a sophomore. I like to spend my time reading and writing books. I prefer science fiction primarily. At school I participate in Speech and Debate, DECA, Student Government, Pre-Business, and Pre-Computer Science.

What artists and/or writers inspired or influenced your work?

My biggest inspiration for poetry comes from Edgar Allan Poe. I’ve read most of his works and often find myself emulating his themes. In general, for both poetry and prose, my biggest inspiration is British novelist William Gibson; Gibson’s style of sentence craft is inherently poetic but allows for structured prose as well. Influences from both of these extremely talented writers can be found in any of my works.

How do you resonate with your piece? Why is it personal to you?

I also find myself struggling with processing new information, and although it doesn’t often come down to choosing between religion or science, there’s always a sense of indecision whenever I learn a new piece of information or try to believe in something new.

What message do you hope to convey through your piece?

Believe in what you want, but always remember that those around you might not see what you see.