1. The month of Valentine, That has in war ended, Let’s pray today, Those broken homes, And broken hearts, Of all innocent victims With time will heal, And soon are mended. Let’s just cease killing, And to forgive, be willing. May our earth and skies, Be cleared of fire and cries, May not a single human, A grandpa, a mother or child, Be further shaken, shattered, Battered and broke, Their dreams destroyed, Their homes are up in smoke. Let’s pray that March, Brings peace in every heart, Blesses humanity at large, Let’s resolve to love Each creature great or small, And protect one and all. 2. The dust, On the mirror, Remains. Its cracked glass, Does not reflect, The usual morning ritual, Of brushing hair unkempt, To shiny tresses well-kept; Of treating dry lips, Quickly applying lipstick. The dust, On the specs, Remains. Broken reading glasses, Not perched on a nose, No eyes behind peeping, Not immersed in reading. The dust on bodies, Unburied unlaid, Remains. Graves in graveyards, Undug, unmade. Bodies strewn, adding the tenth, Five to six feet in length, A few weeks ago, these lads, Showed off their strength. The dust is dry, But a stained wetness, Remains. Many a times, its coloured, And smells blood red. Fingers not without rings, (Some were just engaged), Now smashed and twisted, Usually, a wine glass is held. No longer alive, Motionless, mere ‘Remains’, Guys and gals energetic, Alive and moving around, Now, are charred bodies Countless, Turned to heaps, Lifeless. Many bodies have no ID, A few weeks ago, They merrily waltzed, Sang, laughed, and chased, Their Valentine, their love divine, Their honey, their milady, Now lie piled high, stinky. The dust thickens On human conscience, No stories record, No one tells, War kills ducks, Swans, kittens And cattle as well. The layers of dust, Cover the coffins, Buried lie the beloveds, Next to the innocents. Nothing remains But ruins and human ‘Remains’, In the graveyards remain. And echo and remain, Widows’ wails replace bridal veils, As the winds carry Every child’s scream and The cacophony of curses, Of the widowed newly-weds. 3. The graveyard- Once a burial area In the vicinity, Today, Kiev, then Kharkiv, City after city, Turns into a grave. Who's left to sing, About the sacrificed and the brave? Instead of kids on a swing, A milkshake enjoying, Orphans roam with Nightmares, Fearful eyes with tears sting, Their future and fate Remains, To be seen. At the mercy of those Who, to greed, cling, Deciding give and take, Those who weapons make, And bloodful chaos bring. 4. The past is a date Once on a wall, A calendar hung, The future depends On the hope, That the unforgotten Soldier’s victory In glory be sung. Once again humanity dies, Along with a mother’s Very hoarse voice Exhausted by her cry, No answer to her tears dry, No answer to the gap fill, Why do we kill, Why, why, why, why, O Why?
Visual designed by Anumita Roy Different Truths
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