WAR

It's immaterial  
as to who loses  
and who wins  
in the war.  

Only that  
the earth is soaked,  
bathed  
in blood, time and again.  

Who fights with whom ?  
Who is sacrificed?  

The war  
wipes blue and greenery  
from the sky and trees,  
breaks the wings of the wind,  
throttles the swans  
of the rains. 

Who fights with whom ?  
Who is sacrificed ?  

No one on the banks  
of the river of blood,  
no kith and kin;  
afloat on it  
rafters of bones,  
and bones.  

On the edge of the sword  
a chunck of flesh  
of the earth;  
the obssessed warrior  
busy in wiping  
from it the rust.  

It's immaterial  
as to who loses,  
who wins  
in the war.  
  

Translation :
Rabindra K Swain