I’m sorry
I don’t know how it feels
To live under a sky
Thronging with war drones
Nor do I know how it feels
To be the sons of the lost father!
I don’t know
What lullaby your mother sings
To make you sleep amidst gunshots
I don’t know how you gain the patience of
Travelling on a road with
A check post every five kilometres.
I’m sorry
I know nothing.
I don’t know
What rhymes do you sing
What music do you hear in the rubble
What you write in your admission form-
Dead mother or lost father!
I’m sorry
I only know
War is an adult game
Where no one wins
Everyone loses
Where you and I are the victims
We sing hymns for Children’s day
In the ears of the dead children.
Moumita Alam is a poet from West Bengal. Her poetry collection The Musings of the Dark is available on Amazon.
Featured image: Reuters