the birds took flight in fright
flew along the bank of Jhelum
leaving behind
home songs language people place peace prosperity...
the days months years, all are exiled
in the chaotic commotion
wondering at the conundrum of life
the feelings enmeshed entangled in the thorny bushes
the thorny path whose ways they didn’t know
a sound of fire reverberated the echo of cries and sighs
weary feet, weary hope, weary life
some lives stopped
some passed, some crossed
some got lost in these mazy meandering ways
some reached a far to a distant land
to build their imaginary homeland with a lost home in mind
so much to store in this little brain…
so much in this time’s train
loading unloading lost a p(i)e(a)ce of mind in this grind
the body weighs heavy with memories and place
a history carried on the body
the disjointed thoughts huddling feelings
made of babble and gibber
the half story in the half mind of the half Life
breeze imbued with the fragrance of homeland
bring tears and tear the heart
vocabulary got enriched
with new words in a new place with new people
exile expellee emigrant escapee fugitive refugee runaway
the mind that stored uncautiously
the memories of the past
mingling hope that might last long...
Bio
Pulkita Anand is an avid reader of poetry. She likes to listen to music and play badminton. She loves to absorb life to the fullest. At times, she loves to write, too. She has translated one short story collection, Tribal Tales from Jhabua. She is the author of two children’s e-books. Her recent eco-poetry collection is we were not born to be erased. Her creative works have been published in various journals: Setu Journal, Indian Periodical, Shortstory Kids,The Criterion, Twist and Twain, Tint Journal, Lite Lit One, Indian Ruminations, Langlit, Ashvamegha, Lapis Lazuli, Conifer Call, The Creativity Webzine, Winc Magazine (Issue 1, 2, 5 &7), Stanza Cannon, Superpresent, Madwomen in the Attic, Poetica #11 & 12, NCTE, The Uglywriters, Impspired (online & print issue) redsoethorns Journal (online & magazine), Golu: The Ant, Literary Yard, Academy of the heart and mind, and Kritya, among others. She has been a featured poet in Mad Women in the Attic and poeticreveries. She participated and read her poems in various poetry platforms.
Author's note
This poem is based on the true story of the partition saga of a family (Ravindra Singh Sir). Their family and others were forced to flee from their home, from their land, and from their roots. The poem is about those people who were robbed of their identity and displaced to look for a place called home. They ran from an area near Neelam Valley Kashmir (the then part of India. Now, it is part of Azad Kashmir of Pakistan) for their lives. The poem tries to bring the plight, trauma, trial and tribulation of their lives.
