House Of God Poem by Ishrat Afreen

The books said:
God lives in
tearful eyes
sunken graves
broken hearts-
God loves them allThe books
the sacred pages
the ancient tomes
should have also said:
God also lives in dreamless eyes;
He sleeps on a wooden cross;
He smiles in the seedlings of wheat


Naked bodies
protruding ribs
loaded trucks that reek of hunger
crowds of people
indigence-
some book should have pointed out:
these too are God's abodes.

[Translated by Professor C M Naim]