That Life This Life Poem by Akhtar Jawad

The lost boyhood and the lost teen age,
Roaming on a bicycle in a small town,
That wasn’t completely electrified,
Windy evenings of summer vacation,
Standing at a cigarette and beetle shop,
Greedy of watching pretty teen aged girls,
Engaged in shopping and sometimes having a look,
On the boys’ penetrating eyes,
Smiling slightly and turning their backs,
Towards the Romeos, even more pleased,
To have a nicer view of turning beauties,
Difficult to decide whether a girl in a particular age,
Appears more beautiful from the front or from the rear,
Coming back home satisfied, content and peaceful,
Sleeping below the open sky, starring at the moon,
Guessing the time with the help of stars,
The inviting heavy eye lids to a land of dreams,
Whereat those girls with fairy wings,
With guitars in their hands and semitransparent milky dress,
Singing, dancing the song of future,
A future that is yet a dream of the world,
Used to come in the bluish dreams,
Interrupted by a sudden downpour,
Quickly removing the bed to verandah,
To enjoy a truly wet cloudy night,
What a life it was!
Could it come back! !

Awaking in a bedroom and watching the ceiling fan,
Appearing as enemy’s bomber in a blue zero power bulb,
Reminding the threats of growing weapons,
Reminding the threats of a nuclear war,
Reminding the threats of growing population,
Reminding the threats of scarcity of water,
Reminding the threats of shortage of energy,
Reminding the threats of shortage of resources,
Where has gone the taste of vegetables,
Grown with the help of natural fertilizers,
Where has gone tolerance of religions we believe,
Why cruel nationalism has infected the loving human heart,
Thanks to the man in the mosque who’s calling,
Getup old man and wash your dirty body,
Proceed to the mosque and try to clean,
The poisoned brain, the seat of your soul!
What a life that was!
What a life is it! !