Battles

Away from where we live

You and me

Amid the snow-capped mountains

And the meandering currents of freezing cold water

Breathed a man full of vigour

No, he's not a tourist nor a traveler

Nor a monk in search of inner peace

His hands numbed yet steady

On the rifle in hand

Ready to put a bullet in the treacherous eyes

He lived in a silent place Away from comfort

And away from the noise of the world

Until his last words

The war cry of the soldier"Bharat Matha ki Jai"

Echoed against the storming winds.

A little closer to you and me

And everywhere

Thousands die every day

They say the virus is teaching mankind a lesson

But what was the mistake of a just born 

That she was asked to leave 

Before she could breathe fresh air

While the offenders stand tall.

In another place

 Not so far away from you and me

Lived a life inside four walls

Full of starry glam and cozy and warm

Or as we thought

His head full of dreams

For himself and humanity

His head full of ideas and equations

The stars and the Saturn's rings

Until he succumbed to death

Strangled by the pressure of not fitting in

And the demons that had set the base

Inside his head.

Don't look for the next place too far

Close your eyes and watch your breath

Rising sometimes in anxiety

Of what will come next

And sometimes in gratitude

For the roof on topAnd food in the belly

But the mind a battleground of its own

Slaying thoughts, killing the sunshine

And filling it with darkness.

Each one's fighting a battle

Unknown and uncalled for

Battles against self and death,

And some, battles against the foe 

Across the borderline

These are strange and trying times

Put on a smile and fill kindness in heart

For you never know

When it can work its magic 

On another man.