I Think That I Shall Never See A Poem As Lovely... Poem by Mohammad Younus

I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely...
...as the Thakaboon,
A lonely Chinar tree in the Malkha graveyard!
That has its own history in Kashmir,
The tired pilgrims and pedestrians would take rest...
Under its cool shade...
...on a hot summer day;
Rooted in the graveyard from which it sprung...
...it is standing as a perfect entity for last...
...so many centuries;
As part of the resting place...
...for dead persons buried under it offers a refuge...
...for flying birds, walkers, even dogs...
...and those who came there to bury their dead or...
...offer funeral prayers,
It welcomes all under its cool and expansive shade: -
Thieves, syeds, good and evil people, ...
...believers and non elievers alike, without any
...discrimination of caste, creed, colour, or faith;
It greets every tired person with open arms each day...
...shelters him as its guest...
...under its green canopy in all seasons;
Throughout its life...
...it never considered anyone as its enemy,
Yet, to widen the road it might be cut down some day,
And thus removing this heritage tree...
...from the last resort of the Downtowners.

Mykoul

*Thakàboon: The Chinar tree in Malkha graveyard known as the Resting Chinar.