In my harboring arms, many streams

Of thoughts land down from far and near.

As I lie down on my jute hammock,

With an insatiable thirst for knowledge,

I look at the waxing and waning moon

While the fidgety squirrels look

At the cattle droppings, awe-struck.

I think of the evil doers

And the evil times we are living in.

While bombardments swirl uncontrollably

In a kaleidoscope in my troubled mind,

I think of the world impoverished

Of its great political and religious leaders

And how we are sinking slowly

In the quick sands of illusion.

Man has gained everything, so rich

And yet, deep inside the heart, so poor.

The wisdom of ancient men gone with the wind,

The elemental understanding of life

Washed away with the floods

While what goes around

Sends cold shivers down the spine.

And yet, little does humanity realize

That we alone are responsible for

Our resistance, our revolt, our defeat

And the raging storm of life around us.

Each action has a reaction, goes the saying.

And every action that we do,

Be it a smile, a thought, a deed,

All help to either create beauty

As vibrant as the colors of Spring

Or create the dull sultry ugliness

Which sucks us all in its abyss.

Life is all about karma,

Be it individual or collective.

Nobody can escape the law of karma.

Let man decide about what should be done

To establish the glorious days

For it is never too late to awake.

pramila khadun