Partition
Ode To A lost Land, Lost Souls
A Poem by MICHELE GIBSON
Once, there was hope -
I heard the rumors, in them a marvelous place emerged
Lahore and Amritsar to remain as kin
The Sutlej and the Beas,
In whisperings we heard the Ravi would brother them
And hold out for the Chenab and the Jhelum
All the blessed soil where the ancient blood lay
Enriching our thoughts and our sustenance
The fallen and victorious, servants all, sworn to defend
Holy words, holy paths, holy prayers
For many days, there was hope
A rich valley,
A lush mountain in Kashmir
'Paradise on Earth' where even winter will only kiss the ground
But it was lost, the thought of it - the dream
In idle meditations and strategic propositions
And lies
Oh! sweet nation that could have been
You disappeared into the wind
Scattered recklessly about
By the breath of prophets and politicians
Into thin air
Commitments emerged but they were gnarled by conflicted motivations
By the bargaining and hesitations
In the end they never landed anywhere
And then the trains began, the borders cinched
The streets were lined with bodies
Everywhere,
Of any inclination, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs
They fell together, a mass of ideals, an endless ebb and flow
All the plans and promises were mingled in the streets
Our villagers were massacred and left in crippled heaps
As a testament to words devoid of conscience.
We are virtual
The specter of a nation
Seeds scattered on rocky soils, choking
I grieve for you
My almost nation in my mind
Lost, in idle meditations and strategic propositions
And every now and then I catch my longing and
I struggle, just to breath again
May 26, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: Karamvir Kaur (Mumbai, India), May 26, 2011, 3:16 PM.
Beautifully put, but nevertheless very painful to read. However, there's always hope because chardi kala will take us through thick and thin. Thank you for re-visiting the Partition in this poignant manner.
2: I.J. Singh (New York, U.S.A.), May 26, 2011, 9:10 PM.
Welcome back, Michele. You've been missed. Thanks for another wonderful read - and moving too.
3: Veronica Sidhu (Scotch Plains, New Jersey, U.S.A.), May 28, 2011, 6:17 PM.
O brother! Where art thou? Heart wrenching; especially in light of the political milieu today. My favorite of yours to date.
4: Harinder (Jalandhar, Punjab ), June 02, 2011, 10:24 AM.
We needn't feel sad. This is happening as per the wishes of Waheguru. He wanted us all to get uprooted from our land and carry the message of our beautiful philosophy across the universe.