Motherland

Usman recalls

once his ancestors were 

striving to sow a seed on their land

which was transgressed by a foreign tanker, 

years later, Usman walks down the same lane

to check on the progress of the plant. 

As soon as he makes his way there

he hears a loud boom of tankers and fighter jets

proclaiming that this is their garden, 

and whoever wants to plant a tree there

will have to share the fruits with them. 

Some people rush to the garden and object;

the fighter jets bomb the trees around them 

and warn that this could be their fate—

some agree reluctantly

while others resist valiantly. 

In some parts of the world

they are cherished as heroes

while, on the other

they are portrayed as villains—

as the real director watches from above.