THE FOLLOWING POEM WAS SELECTED IN WINGWORD POETRY PRIZE 2023 LONGLIST.

The Sun stood silent,

As eternal witness.

Seeing all the chaos;

among the People!

They were fighting an enemy.

Unknown and invisible; it evoked fear.

Those caught off guard; fell dead.

The Nature wept!

They ran to their shelters;

locked themselves up

and distanced; to protect.

Hugs became a dream.

Sufferings and uncertainty,

They were racing against time!

When masks covered a part of the face;

Only their eyes could smile .

Heroes emerged.

Hands of hope held the ones falling.

Life desperately clung!

After every gloomy winter,

there is a Spring.

Slowly the story was unfolding.

Of courage and grit,

Of a species, that fought for its survival

and they won!

The Sun kept blazing,

As eternal witness.