Poem: Wilderness
By: Syed Mustafa Ahmad
A brook is flowing noiselessly
The dogs are on prowl and the wolves are assembling in the lonely fields
A widow is looking out for her lost son in the cold night
The cold winds are bringing the news of death with them and the gravediggers have fallen asleep
A cart is plying on the road, with the horse spitting blood
In the sky, the stars are vanishing to give place to the pitch dark
On the broken bridge, the crippled are waiting to cross over
In the waters of the Jhelum, dirty drops of water mingle into it to make it murkier
The lightless sun is sad and the earth is barren
The thorny bushes catch the travelers to elongate their journey
The owls hoot in the starting of the day and the bats digest innumerable insects
Everywhere destruction is common while the life is cowering in fear
Heavy boots shake the muddy earth to wake death
Shrouds are torn to look for life
In this wilderness, life is ceasing
Gloomy weather with dark clouds haunts everyone
Cries of savagery burst the eardrums
In this atmosphere, who lives to see all this?
Wilderness has become common and it snatches life
