Sunday, June 21, 2009

Kashmir


Countless griefs ago

On a quiet sepulchral night…

When Satan shook off his pious mask

And ranged the snowy breast of Earth

When rats dug deeper into their burrows

And cats on the prowl scratched the Earth

When birds in their nests batted not an eyelid

And scavengers sleepless scoured the Earth

When heifers lowed not at the fall of the sword

And butchers slew not uttering the Word

A squall leapt up…


Befuddling the wise

Benumbing the young

Undoing the yarn that the Sufis had spun

Tossing it low

In the spluttering Fire

Uplifting its guns in fanatic glee

It vowed to make the infidel flee

Such was the night

Countless griefs ago…


A booming shot

Then rent the sky

Silence was splintered

But for a while…

No whirring cameras

No spy cams either

To chronicle the splintering of the sky…


It rained bullets

The 'veth' went red

But the somnolent village

In a pall slept…

The village slept

So did the world

No doors no windows

No lights no footsteps

Silence was all

Stillness was all…


The mice will pop out

At the break of day

When the Wolf with his kill

Has made his Way…


They whisper

They stutter

And life goes on without a whimper!

And life goes on without a whimper!

'veth'- Kashmiri name for the Vitasta/Jhelum

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