Poet, Author, Editor, Creative Writing Consultant

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

I Mourn for You, Paris

I Mourn for You, Paris
We watch the news,
Watch how the world burns,
Then go light our kitchen fires
Thankful to be cooking, living,
Breathing. Things may
go up in smoke anytime,
The world around you takes
No time to collapse into
A funeral pyre, the air
Awash with ash, and in
The grey of the morning news,
You have your first cup of tea
And pray for those who lost their
Lives in another time and place
While you were asleep in bed,
And you breathe now
Even as they lie dead,
Lost to their loved ones forever,
Just memories in the head,
In hearts that will grief forever.
The taste of tea is bitter,
Singes your mouth, you spit it
out. Look at the world and how
it carries on living in the face
Of Death. But know that
You cannot ignore this truth,
There are those who will
Bring it to you sometime,
So face it now, the terror
Of our times, and thwart
It before it cannot be held back
anymore. Too strong for your
voice, too strong for your steps
They need to be taken now.
(C) Abha Iyengar, 14th November, 2015