“This death-valley is not my land”— Nabarun Bhattacharya
At present
Terrorists are having fun
In my land-
They are on a killing spree-
Fun foregrounds fun
Of a gory kind here-
So
I’ve buried my laughter
Under sands
Of a salty sea,
Turbulent, in my heart-
Is this land, torn apart
My country?
Posted for Susan’s Midweek Motif ~ Fun @ Poets United
sumanar/lekha 
Now tears rise up. Some people’s fun terrorizes others! And how awful when that lives inside us. It is too present, and I fear it is my land, too. I have to share this poem. It does what we say “hits the nail on the head.” Good aim.
This is heart-wrenching, and as well resonates a deep love for your country.
Wishes for peace and an end to terrorism
Thanks for dropping by my blog today, Sumana
much love…
Oh, Sumana. This hurts in a way that is necessary, for those of us physically far away, to feel. The first lines caught me by complete surprise. I was expecting a different kind of fun. The shock makes the poem work at deeper level. It speaks of how distance can make us (and by “us” I mean “me”) a bit silly, a bit detached, a bit blind…
This is so sad, so horrifying to think/accept that some have fun with another’s pain. I feel your connection to your country. This is beautifully written Sumana.
Yes, this is a necessary poem. Impossible to write lightly, when terrorism is going on in Kashmir, the beautiful country. It is hard to hope humanity will ever get it right. We have gone over the edge of wickedness.
This is heartbreaking, Sumana. It’s impossible to have fun when our worlds are torn apart.
I loved your write! Hard to have fun, when some are killing.
A heartbreaking poem so sad so much pain I send love and peace to your country
Sobering reflections. May peace come to your country, and to all countries. May there be no more of this terroristic “fun.”
It is a pity that the UN who decided that India should look after Kashmir has not come to India’s aid. Many countries in the world accept that different religions are perfectly acceptable in their communities. One day perhaps we will all accept that we can choose different paths in our religious beliefs.
Peace seems like a distant dream…yet you have to hope that somewhere better sense will prevail… hope is all there is.
Oh Sumana! Your poem gave me a jolt. It’s a reminder that not everyone is having fun. We can only hope and pray that this terror ends soon. The lines that touched me most are:
‘So
I’ve buried my laughter
Under sands
Of a salty sea,
Turbulent, in my heart’.
So shocking to read this. Buried laughter is a terrible thing. I wish you peace and live laughter.