Hasht-e Subh Publishes Poetic Essay on Despair Following Kabul's Fall

Hasht-e Subh has published an essay titled 'Our Other Name is Sorrow,' reflecting on the aftermath of Kabul's fall. The piece describes widespread panic as darkness returned, history repeated with oppression taking hold, and bitter memories resurfacing. Women reportedly hid in fear, people panicked and lost direction, soldiers abandoned positions, and leaders conceded defeat. The wealthy escaped while the poor could not.

New rulers declared the war over, security restored, and religion as pure and unquestionable, with harsh punishments for non-acceptance. The essay states that everyone appeared relieved except 'us'—those who valued the pen, saw schools as homeland, and dreamed of universities. Women in a male-dominated government sought rights but faced suppression as darkness spread.

The narrative portrays 365 days without spring, seasons as endless autumn, days as nights, and nights as black. It depicts frozen despair, breathing in cages, walking in darkness, and enduring suffering while alive. Hopes lie buried under rubble, fallen with Kabul, lost in war, or veiled in poverty; dreams caged or silenced by moral policing cries.

Future generations may mock weakness or rulers, the essay muses, where dreams die unjustly, joys mutilated, mourning banned. A recurring painful refrain: 'This is not the end here, darkness continues.'