Beyond The Hammering World Poem by Ravi Panamanna

Night is gathering in,
The street is becoming silent.
The pavement is preparing bed
And beggars are thronging in.

They fall into their place,
What is in their deepening breath?
A square meal is their only vision,
A barking dog is their only companion.

To them all temples are alike,
To them all gods are the same.
To them our political war has no sense,
To them this world is an open stage.

Beyond the stony pavements of our temples,
Beyond the gates of Masjids and churches,
Their dreams do not reach,
Their arms do not stretch.

A Masjid has fallen, a church broken,
Or a temple is blown -
For them, it is not a stirring news.
For them, those stony pavements matter,
For them, the tinkling coins are dearer.
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24/01/1993