Of gold and children

Photo by Passu

Two brothers of same birth
lived in the far East
where the younger a simpleton
kept his small plot of land
and the elder being sly
with their parents’ wealth
lived comfortably.

The younger brother was rich
in happiness
for he had three children
while the other was child-less
and with envy
he listened to his poor brother’s laughter.

Unable to accept his brother’s happiness
asked his wife to display all their gold and silver
and tried to laugh, to be happy
but no laughter came nor joy
they forced themselves
hopelessly their laughs sounded empty
as his wife’s bosom and his lap.

The joyous laughter from his brother’s house
continued to echo and vibrate through the walls.

[Based on a tale I heard. ‘Children are the greatest joy.’ The story version  is published on Writers Association of Bhutan.]

That Life, That World

An unlit traditional Bhutanese Hearth, abandoned in an old house

Come and sit by me
I will tell you a story or two
of the days when world was different
when birds flew freely
when rivers flowed clear
when the clouds moved to grace the blue sky
when the moon shone the brightest in the night sky
when little boys and little girls played into dark
safely
of the times when strangers smiled at each other
when a young person stopped to help an old lady
of the times when mothers suckled her child at her breast
when fathers took his children to play a game or two in the fields
of times when grandfathers and grandchildren sat by the hearth
while grandmothers cooked, and shared centuries-old stories of values and love
when man loved his woman the way she should be
when woman warmed her bed only with her man
when children held their old parents in their arms
when students bowed to their teachers in reverence
of the times when happiness wasn’t paid for
when wars were avoided
of times when human were humane
when animals were treated as a member of the family
life was different
I lived that life, in that world

The Desert Flower

Boom
bright lights
brighten
the black hole
people run
men shout
women sob
children wail
mud walls of centuries
crumble down to dust
thicker than water
blood of innocents
seep into the dust
burying
out of sight
tears fall
on desert dust
evaporating
into eternity
the desert flower
disappears
in the chaos
of gunfire and bombs

[The other day I was looking at pictures of war in the middle east.]

THE NEWS TODAY

What is the news today?
The news today is
children have grown up
live in big houses
which don’t have room
for their aging parents.
Parents are busy socializing
to see their 9 year olds
getting high on drugs.
The news today is
a boy of 14 was beaten up
by the police
for collecting scraps.
Hatred is found at every corner
of the street
love has vanished altogether.
The news today is
people kill each other
in the name of religion
which (in fact) prohibit killing.
Wars are fought
for no particular reason
blood is spilled to spill oil wells.
The news today is
a 11 month old baby
was raped by a man in his 40s.
A young lady was put to death
by her male relatives
in the name of honour.
People waste more than
what they consume.
The news today is
these dramas will go on forever.