Kash Baloch — Poetry, Prose & Survival

In Thebes, the origin story of Atum the Creator involved Earth and sky's division into Seth & Nephthys, a third gender; both non-binary, by nature.   In Greek and Roman antiquity,  there ruled a Goddess named Cybele,  whose followers transitioned, famously, from male into females. Ugandans, once upon a time, raged against restrictive gender norms, as priests and Teso tribesmen preferred prints made for the women in their homes Adoration filled the eagle-eyed Indigenous tribes in pre-colonial times, as they celebrated sacred two-spirits who  enhanced their lives. Hijras have existed, in India, for as long as the festival of lights,  but it wasn't until this century that they earned economic rights.  When Joyita Mondal was elected India's first transgender judge, bangles clinked in thunderous applause. Determined to aid her sisters, she abolished trans-exclusionary laws. Throughout the his and hers-tory of the world to date,...

Woman brought us to the Earth, but man will take us out; ruled by ego and insecurities,  he shoots before he shouts. The fourth world war will be fought with sticks and stones, like in the past: for the third will annihilate our home, with one single blast. If women ruled today,  we would still have our humanity, instead of this endless rage,  that is often coupled with unadulterated insanity.

Let freedom ring, it reigns supreme. Liberty's bell solely tolls for thee. Red, white, and blue but only for you. For me, red is the blood of my brothers and sisters you've murdered. White, the ticket of privilege that buys you luxuries my melanin can't afford. And blue? Blue is the police force that engages in brutality. Its sole criteria for ending a life is colour. I pray for the day there is no news of injustice. No headlines about rapists who are freed whilst teachers are wrongfully killed. Mama, when can we stop digging graves? Help me understand when we stop being slaves. Will we ever be saved? There seems to be no end in sight to this crusade. Is it reckless, are the riots in vain? All that ever changes are the names of the innocents slain.

You are familiar with ISIS, Boko Haram, and I believe you even know the Muffin Man. Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, and Gaddafi are other famous names who fit the narrative that demonizes Islam. But I can guarantee, without a doubt, that you have never heard of the recently deceased Abdul Sattar Edhi, for he was insignificant despite his existence as a polarizing figure focused on the needy. His altruism did not allow him to see caste, religion, or creed; Edhi embodied asceticism despite being surrounded by greed. Philanthropy should feel fortunate to have benefited from his brilliance. All jokes aside, he was nicknamed the “Angel of Mercy” for being one in more than two hundred million. He created a charitable empire despite lacking any funding. Proving determination is all it takes to create something from nothing. Edhi was even dubbed the “Father Theresa” of Pakistan . But once again, I must declare that our media purposely ignored him...

There is no humanity  when hatred prevails and reigns supreme, when we are divided by our faith,  dogma, race or community. Our focus should be on  the forty-nine innocent lives that were lost, instead of whom to blame  and which group we must accost. When hatred takes over,  ego is the sole reason a louse could feel like a man,  arrogance ignored results in fools  acting out their wicked plans. Anyone who instills fear in others  should be labeled as a terrorist, it should not be reserved exclusively for  that religion from the Middle East. What difference does it make  when families are bereaved,  no amount of bleach could ever erase  these tears or this blood from the streets. Who would have thought a city filled with Disney magic  could experience ugliness like this,  if Mickey Mouse is not even safe  then no one really is.  The world is awash in mourning; the...

The day she learned to talk, her mother cautioned her to listen. Moments after her first steps, mama showed her how to run. Preparing young Sylvie for the inevitable day,  when she caught the attention of a man who refused to go away. Sylvie knew all about the monsters under the bed, she was well-versed on the boogeyman, who filled her with dread. She could describe the Wolf-man, Dracula, and even Frankenstein, but her mother warned her the wickedest creature of all was mankind. She said, “This world was not built for us, we are merely trespassers here.” Determined to protect her daughter from the same predatory men she feared. Why do we teach young girls to keep themselves safe, without teaching little boys not to hurt or maim? We desire to build our daughters up to believe they can do anything, to raise them to be confident, and devoid of suffering.  But what good is it when society just shoots them down, laughing at them for thinking it were any diffe...