War Or Peace Poem by Aniruddha Pathak

A planeload of patients, all valued guests,
Among them ailing young, men and women,
For hospital care and cure here, our best,
And doctors ready to do best as can.

More such lost-hopes shall come by land and air,
‘Pon treated well haply shall they return,
Rid of ailment, hope in future to share,
Goodwill its compassionate page shall turn.

Patients may carry Friendship's Cross uphill,
Or may not still in long oblivious years,
Fed on flag-waving fratricidal fears,
In hardened hearts enough warts harbour still.

Alas, there's no healing for hardened hearts,
Despite shared brotherhood on either side,
There's no easy wilting of callous warts,
So high hast grown the cross-border divide.

And troubled ties go on between the two
Long as there reign cranks callous sword in hand,
And extremists letting no one to mend,
No war mongers sans stakes can peace rescue.
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India and Pakistan: There have been many a war and many a peace parley between the two troubled neighbours. Many more may still come. One such peace effort just failed. There are elements on the other side of the border, militarised heavily, extremists, and fundamentalists, with the army conniving at them hands-in-glove. How long the peace shall take in coming, no one knows. But left to them people do want peace.
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Happenings | 13.07.10 |