War a hearts ravage-9
English Translation: P. Jayalakshmi & Bhargavi Rao
Telugu Original : “Yuddham oka Gunde Kotha” by Seela Subhadra Devi
Somewhere
clap of thunderbolt.
Vibrating earth shudders.
Like wild sparrows dropping beaked grains
metal birds, sky’s sole occupants, maneuver.
Blood bathed brooks
race down mountain passes.
From valley’s edge roll bone ranges–
spat, chewed remains of preying birds.
In desert pastures,
corpses hanging by date palms,
throb still with life,
as cacti flowering gory heads.
Within harem interiors behind curtains
sorrow’s fiery flames flare open.
Caught in felonious fanged hold
anonymous helpless living dead.
When pictures terrifying blood spattered
scene after scene open
map across earth’s atlas,
as from mouth corners of a manslayer,
when human relationships strained
like droplets of rain shower and
tears stream the heart;
when human values
chameleon-like are ripped open;
entrails fragmented, twisting
trace marks of woe;
as caskets of memory fly open,
swords, bruised fingers tear open,
then
writhes any mother’s heart in anguish, doesn’t it?
Images not unique to any two nations,
displayed are they all over earth’s celluloid!
They are deepgone
even if want to discard.
Drenched wet in red-dyed rain
groping for a warm friendly shade,
devoured by fire of hatred
distressed by anguish.
Taking red globule of earth in hands
nestle it in an embrace, offer it succor.
Since we are not arid of universal love
it is for us to shower
ambrosial compassion on the world.
Life-breathing oxygen has evaporated
it seems.
Air oppressive and stifling,
torrid heat scorching life.
Sound of metal boots’ trample
and mangled bodies.
Hidden inside camps are fury’s flames.
Behind screen, dry eyes, and forgotten tears.
Like sacrificial firewood in
Janamejaya’s sarpayaga,
half-burnt mounds of bones in trenches.
Stench of charred remains wafts the air,
odor of death, offends breath, and
cacti flower blooms red.
Maneuvering in skyscapes
vultures sing tunes
praising spread of ghost empires.
An eagle in wait
behind date palms for a chick.
Wild sparrows wait helpless
for grains to shower from above.
Mice peep out of their holes
to make face at the cat.
As if to soothe, wafer-thin fibrous clouds
under fury’s heat melt to tears.
From upland mountain table crevices
a bigot’s hardened feelings
wait to trickle liquefied
to stream and combine with tributaries
to swell, to surge and tide over.
Mother’s heart lost right to breathing.
To the explosion of murderous missiles
her love athwart
is falling as debris into her lap.
Despite hardened to stone,
eyes alive softly move.
Helpless of spreading rays of empathy
confining to her heart itself,
running into penance behind encampments
waiting to breathe fresh air
at least before breathing her last,
grew into a motionless statuesque figure.
Before yawning light rays
rise blooming above high eastern fields,
throwing aside sheet of darkness,
eyes masked in fear all night long
wake to waking wet rangoli in front yard.
As eyes pick letters from newspapers
tears vaporize to tramp through the world.
*****
(To be continued-)
జన్మస్థలం విజయనగరం.రచయిత,కవి, చిత్ర కారుడు ఐనా శీలా వీర్రాజు గారి తో వివాహానంతరం హైదరాబాద్ లో నివాసం.1970 లో కథారచన తో సాహిత్య రంగంలో అడుగు పెట్టి తొమ్మిది కవితా సంపుటాలు, మూడు కథా సంపుటాలు,ఒక నవలిక వెలువరించారు. వంద మంది కవయిత్రుల కవితల సంకలనం ” ముద్ర” కు డా.పి.భార్గవీరావు తో కలిసి సహసంపాదకత్వం వహించారు.ప్రధానోపాధ్యాయినిగా పదవీవిరమణ చేసారు.