Mountain's Journey Poem by Prasanta Behera

The mountain stands emotionless
watching the battle in its land
the victor go home
but the scar of death
lingers to the end.
The grounds soaked
of blood and sweat
the mountain is waiting
for the rain to lay the rest.
Victory pillars built
rituals performed
battlefield sanctified
the mountain is glorified
the victor lays the claim
the deceased lay in vain
but no on knows
the mountain is strained.
The mountain endures
hunting between
glory and pain.

History will note the time and place
the victorious king in this glorious place
the fallen kings in this desolate place
but what about the thousands of life
lost in the battle in this empty space.
The bodies have long gone
the withered victory column stay still
the flowers have bloomed
but noone knows
the scars beneath the downhill.

Long ago the battle of Mahabharata(*)
was fought in the land
the winners were Pandavas
the losers were Kaurvas
but what about the thousands men
who died in the battlefield
who are they
do we know anything of them?
We remember the kings
winner or losers
but what about the ordinary men
there is no history for them.
Only the mountain remembers
the shadows of the fallen men
engraved in its stones until the end.

The mountains are beautiful
the mountains are glorious
lets us not raise victory pillars
to lay a claim.
There is no victory in war
there is only path forward
plant a tree
to remember the fallen
the mountain will bless us
for this token.
It is the same mountain
deep inside our heart
battles are fought
wars are lost
but when we lay a claim
we dwell between
the same agony and pain
again and again.