Amrit Chahal

Of Wars and Desolation

The trudging tanks of World War one.
Shattered buildings that were once a place of fun.
The men sprint.
Not for fun; but life that is not done.
The dead have fallen so young.
Over the bones the tanks now turn.
Quiet without a moan the dying lay- waiting for the tanks to come and sprawl.
For their lives are done.
Men born of the same woman are torn apart.
Without knowing the enemy fought.
A silly war, for this above all is right.

[Amrit Chahal is 18-year-old young student poet from Fairfax, USA]

Vinod Anand "Nazar"

Pace of Time

Dates move forward
Time moves back
Not today-
In all ages-
Time moves in this sequence.
Future and Past keep distancing
In between is the emptiness of the History of the present
Exerting the right to live
In the Future and the Past.
To the Past our lives are attached-
And in a vain effort to move into the darkness of the future,
Life curls in the limits of the present.
(2)
The two wheels of life have sped
Leaving the rising dust behind
In the darkness of the sky
Helpless and forlorn we lie
Life had curled itself within its dawn
And we were left standing
Smouldering in the fire behind.

Predicament

(1)
Numerous sorrows
Stand in aquelong
With faces averted
Like the family of Ravana.
(2)
The poet's heart
Burdened with life
Tired, helpless,
What poetry can he write?
(3)
Are there or not
Moments of happiness subtle,
Bereft of selfhood
The overburdened mind is consoled-
A beatific web is woven
To entice-
In delightful illusion, poetry-
Vain attempt to lead Into the other side of existence.