Shabir Ahmad Mir

 

When the war is over

And you can come over

To our side

I will let you poke

Your finger

Into the holes left

By bullets and pellets

And you will feel how much they hurt

Still.

 

When the war is over

I will let you smell

Primroses growing timidly

out of ruins

And you will see

How magnificent it would have been!

When the war is over

I will let you listen

To the laughter

Of gurgling streams running

Through our undivided ancient mountains

That no longer are silenced

By the noise of angry borders.

 

When the war is over

I will let you dip

your feet into Verinag

And drink handfuls from Sukhnag

And let your hand run through

The Dal

As your Shikara floats

Aimlessly. All day

Without any security.

And you will see how peaceful it all is.

 

When the war is over

I will let you feel

How charming the snowmen can be

When they breathe air free

Of tear gas and pepper gas

And sirens and screams.

You will see! You will see!

How beautiful it could be

The unending acres of snow

When its tranquility

Is not broken by digging

Untimely graves!

 

When the war is over

I will let you join us

At our Wanwun

And our Rouff

On moonlit silver nights

And you will see

How you can be happy too

While we are happy.

 

When the war is over

I will invite you to tea.

We will sip our tea-

The salty, pink tea-

And you will see

How I never was your enemy.

 

Shabir Ahmed is a writer-poet based in Kashmir.