Farooq

Farooq, I never thought we would meet again

When there were wars fought between the religions

In that hastiness, while leaving our land

You gifted me a peacock feather  with your

Puerile hands

With great pride, I have kept it safely for years, decoratively

Over my heart

As if it were a medal I won for my bravery

For killing an enemy

Many days passed

A moustache covers my lips and

Then I realize:

It is human tendency

To find it difficult to let  go

It happened on one bleak evening

That I bought for you a magnifying glass

From the city’s black market

But it shattered against the black rock

Farooq, in the grandeur of your eyes

I see symptoms of cataract

We meet after  so long

But the world is still small and narrow minded

Engrossed in its aggression for wars

When we were small and naïve

Massacres took place between religions

Today, it happens within religions

After you left

We abandoned our shelter

Under the thorny wild barriers and

Sheltered under the peaceful,  cool

And densely shadows of the Bodhi tree

As a symbol of what should I gift you this

Magnifying glass?

Indeed, the hearts of people are not as grand as this glass

Should I touch your eyes

Your eyes that show the symptoms  of cataract

With my fingers that have grown wrinkles now?

I wish for this

Farooq, tell me something about the land you migrated to

Why do you smile at me ironically?

I know that my past experiences of this society

Are shared by you as well

Let’s go!

We’ll go to the habitation of a peacock and

Gather the feathers

For others

Translated by Yogesh Maitreya