Anhad ka Baaja

Father Stan Was quite a man The might of the state Sought to crush him It didn't even manage to Anywhere near shush him A caged bird Still can sing He said this quite Inspiring thing And proceeded to

A gulmohur abloom is A gulmohur ablaze And an avenue of gulmohurs Is simply beyond description This particular gulmohur Is special to us because We planted the seed-spark Which, after all these

The girl who delivered milk To the temple on the island Was always late Dependent as she was On the whims of the boatman The priest admonished her one day Saying Woman, Chanting the name of our

To pick up the phone And call someone To say Nalla irrukengala or Ki khobor Is fraught Today With an unvoiced dread And so I don't pick up the phone I don't call And lose the chance To say Nalla

And the very air we breathe Is contaminated Isn't it? We are condemned By this virus to Isolate Quarantine Breathe alone Live alone Even die alone Aren't we? But The pandemic has sparked An

When the boys were small And we played Catch the papoose Hug the papoose Crush the papoose There would be times when I would forget my own strength And the gurgles of delight Would dissolve into