Pure Maths Poem by Sadiqullah Khan

AK 47 = 18 K

From the hollow pestilence of absences
Every small piece of stone was splintered.
The ancient library of Alexandria was burned
The papyrus scrolls (including Sappho’s poems) ,
Were used to warm the water in baths, for a century.
The museum of Kabul, (When I last saw it, from a distance) ,
Chicken poxed and mutilated, by bullets and shells,
The artifacts were stolen, and some gifted, and still house,
A perpetrator’s residence, who would need a reassurance,
That their worth was more than in eighteen Karat gold,
(Since he wanted gold, for fear of inflation) .

We used AKs, as fire logs, -they burned so well,
And were cheaper than the precious Oakwood
Favored for hearths, and needed to be axed.
Chinese, Egyptian, with their nozzles cut like a nib,
Russians with two flags, one flag, the folding ones,
So easy to carry. A bullet would cost twelve anna,
(A rupee=16 anna =100/1 US$) . We mastered to dis-assemble
Re-assemble. What a machine! …(That trajectile piston
Would greatly amaze me, made as if of pure white silver) .

In the bazaar of the arsenal, (as opposed to the bazaar of booksellers) ,
A used NATO soldier’s green jacket, -was a statement. I bought
One too, with a certain name sewn on the chest. Military shoes.
Back sacks, caps, and the magazines for Aks were complementary.
They are still sold in abundance, this time stolen from Marines.
It brought M16s with fiberglass buts, laser binoculars, and Berettas,
The market forces are at work, we live in a market driven economy.

It is pure maths, if the artist from China, Zhang Dali, in his absences, and
Inscribed art, highlighted contemporary ‘cultural conflicts’.
In this conflict, Einstein would put the best of his imagination, if he so wills,
And give us a relationship, mathematically to tell us, which one is true.
E=mc2 or AK47 =18k

Sadiqullah Khan
Islamabad
March 7,2014.