What They did to the City of Dreams

Dark shapes moving in the darkest night,

They leave not a shadow, you dismiss their whispers.

You sleep uneasily, unconsciously anticipating doom

To fall upon all: those were the darkest you ever saw.

‘Move from cover to cover, hide in the dark,

Drive the tanker across the city, remember stealth.

Strap the detonator, let it tick, let none awake.

That done, shoot into the night, at every straggler;

Shout the name of god, it’s for him after all.’

Wave after wave of bullets, screams and blood;

The walls were pockmarked with nickel, the glass translucent.

Every surface was a chameleon, confused at crimson –

Those alive aren’t lucky, they live with the dead.

‘Unleash the wrath of our god on those infidels,

Kill those who are bleeding, impregnate the pregnant.

They will look up to you, beg and plead for mercy,

Think not once, shoot them and send them to their Gods.’

The lights were turned on, their faces alight.

We saw them, but they saw us first.

Guns blazing in every room, it was bloodstained luxury.

A city’s landmarks of success were violated, burnt

And reeking of the dead who did no wrong.

‘Give yourself up to god, follow my words,

You lived your five and twenty years

For this night; you’re a martyr.

You’re a son every mother would pray for.

Now come to the tanker before detonation,

Praise him - you have to die to be immortalized.’

They had trained their crosshairs on aliens,

They did exactly what their master(s) ordered.

The dark shapes are darker, their minds blank.

They attain salvation, they see no blood, they see their god.

Our eyes are the ones that are cursed,

Or is it them, the ones being controlled?

We wonder about their intentions,

We fear the route they take to their god.

The Extent to which they go, we sometimes wonder

If the Imperius Curse* exists in reality.

*The Imperius Curse is a fictional element, but it's reality lies in studying those whom we call terrorists. Refer to Imperius Curse on Wikipedia to get a fair idea on what J. K. Rowling meant in her books.