strangled and gagged
cut to pieces
broken limbs
sawed joints
severed trunk
The coldness of death
abounds
next to "Company Bagh"
- renamed "Khaled Bin Walid"
or some other hero
- or a martyr?
Does it really matter?
This is Peshawar Cantonment
the British
inhabited
The Sikhs invaded
Moghuls ruled
The Afghans embellished
the Persians
and Huns looted
Remember
The Golden Gandhara
when tranquility reigned
Peace and love
Nature and man
co-existed
blossomed
and bloomed
its fragrance stretched
the Far East
and China
- and beyond
Now religion
is a death warrant
for innocent lives
and helpless spirits
What lived for centuries
is dishonored
and disabled
by
the modern world
Majesty of tall
sheesham trees
dwarfed
by petty
charlatans
impostors
- scheming mortals
For them
it was merely
- a tree
maybe a century old
or a centennial
or a millennium
- who cares?
huge foliage
covered the intersection
silently whispering
the forgotten tales
of conquests, pillage
and intrigues
of bygone era
It brightened many
a forlorn soul
provided a shade
to many a tired
spirit
spread out its caring
arms like a mother
against the sweltering sun
Sharing a priceless
heritage
of past centuries
Today
it stands demolished
"Developers"
gleeful
at their
"conquest"
Another
million rupees
into their
coffers
- and empty souls
A precious being
extinguished
at the alter
of "progress"
- or crass insensitivity?
A living spirit
hacked by
a tyrant's sword
Did it wail -
or cry for help?
Did the world care
or the city tremble
- when the colossus fell
Singing
the song
of eternity
and morality's doom
Goodbye nature's
beautiful monument
Today a heart did grieve
a tear was shed
a heart beat missed
As the
"civilized"
dragged you to
your cross
Seldom do they realise
it is their ruin
For nature is eternal
- like God.
Adil Zareef
April 29, 2000