When streets are filled with anger and with flame,
It is our children who must bear the blame.
Let us pause the chaos, drop the heavy stone,
And make the safety of our youth our own.
The smoke is rising high across the land,
With fires and destruction close at hand.
Our daily lives are disrupted by unrest,
And fear is gripping every mother’s breast.
The vandalism scars the very towns
Where peace and brotherhood should wear the crowns.
Look at our youth, who only want to learn,
While shops are looted and the pavements burn.
Their exams postponed, their futures put on hold,
Caught in a bitter story not of their own mould.
They watch us from the windows, wide-eyed, scared,
Wondering why adults are unprepared
To keep them safe, to guide them through the night,
And show them right from wrong, and dark from light.
Enough of anger, politics and pride,
Let us push all divisions pushed aside.
Our first priority, our sacred vow,
Is protecting our children, here and now.
They are the future of this island shore,
We must not let the fires burn anymore.
Oh Mauritius, our mother and our queen,
You deserve better than what we have seen.
Let every citizen now take a stand,
To bring back peace and healing to the land.
Put down the stones, let reason guide the heart,
So that our children’s lives can heal and start.
Bhawna Atmaram
