On a moonlit night by the ancient fort

the torchbearer halted.

Troubled by the toxic rhetoric of hatred

the torch-bearer could not sleep.

A dove trying to build a nest brought a twig,

and was searching place. All around,

the noises of battle raged in the day;

the dove had nowhere to go.

A mythical creature, a hybrid of all,

came from the land of the moon and star,

propelled by the energy of sun holding for the dove

a scimitar for peace.

'' Live to protect life on earth. This weapon is called Love.

Hold it silently and have faith. The only war,

the mother of all wars, is the word that causes a belief in Love" "Love", the brilliant word long withheld in some divine poet's heart, was articulated on that night and was heard by all.

Sushama Karnik.

july5,2022