The reign of oppression had fallen on the land,
In ancient days, when freedom’s garden had blossomed,
The skies had been untainted by the foe,
Its wings had unfurled, a beacon in the sun.
The meadows had danced beneath the open skies,
Their verdant hues had been untouched by lies.
The rivers had sung in tones both pure and free,
Reflecting realms of boundless ecstasy.
Time had wrought a shift in fate’s domain,
As freedom’s light had fallen to the chains.
The voices that had risen in liberty
Had been muffled by the reign of oppression.
The banners that had fluttered in the breeze
Had draped in silence, heavy with unease.
The once-bright fields where dreams had intertwined
Had been stilled beneath the reign of oppression.
Where happiness had glided through the sylvan glades,
Now mournful anguish haunted twilight shades.
The grandeur of a realm once free and grand
Had been replaced by iron rule and harsh command.
The sovereign’s grip had tightened power sternly,
Freedom’s echoes had faded, dim and worn.
The courts that had once rung with the people’s voice
Had been stifled by the reign of oppression.
The skies, once clear, had been cloaked in dusky grey,
As freedom’s sun had been veiled by shadows’ sway.
The land had lain still beneath the reign of oppression,
Where liberty had succumbed to iron’s chain.
In the quiet, memories long faded
Had sought to evoke all of freedom’s light, outclassed.
The reign had ruled where once had freedom bloomed,
Its dominance was a shadow in a silent tomb.
Through fragments of the past and sighs departed,
The stark reminder of a freedom thwarted.
The hollow grave where once a spirit thrived,
Now bore the weight of dominion’s drive.
In endless night, no dawn would break the gloom,
The shadows of the past were lost in doom.
Where once was life, now silence held its reign,
The void of freedom’s cry was left in vain.
Esther Elizabeth Racah
