Note: Each poem is accompanied by photographs taken by the author in Sidhbari, Himachal Pradesh, India
***
Games Boys Play
Boys in Sidhbari play
At the foothills of the
Snow-crowned Dhauladhar
They bowl and bat
On Ghore-ke-lar
The field where the horses graze
They don't know the game
That kids like them
Play in Gaza-
Dodge the mines
Dodge the bullets
Dodge the bombs
At the foothills of the
Snow-crowned Dhauladhar
They bowl and bat
On Ghore-ke-lar
The field where the horses graze
They don't know the game
That kids like them
Play in Gaza-
Dodge the mines
Dodge the bullets
Dodge the bombs
Merciless Rain
Yesterday's rain
Brought
Down
The wild
Cherry blossoms
It's been raining
D
E
A
T
H
On Gaza
Brought
Down
The wild
Cherry blossoms
It's been raining
D
E
A
T
H
On Gaza
***
Author's Note: The Himalayan wild cherry tree (Prunus cerasoides) blooms in November and in April.
