Lost Legacy
By: Rayees Ahmad Kumar
Once titled as the land of saints
Also the paradise on earth
In view of its enchanting beauty
Due to lofty mountains and hills
Snow clad white conical peaks
And vast green grassy meadows
Murmuring crystal clear water bodies
Dense evergreen treasured woods
Kashmir thy past is full of rich legacy
Kindness, love, respect, unity, brotherhood
Dominated its social fabric and relationships
But alas! Kind-acts, benevolence and altruism
Once endemic to this sacred land
Alien here now, replaced instead by
Hatred, malice, animosity, ill-will and hostility
A son abandoning his enfeebled old parents
Sometimes killing them for meager material gains
Chastity of eve’s daughters too isn’t safe
Now at the hands of her own blood and flesh
Now everyone wonders, is it the same saintly land
Or the beasts have made it their eternal abode
