I Cannot Count Numbers

by Ananya S. Guha / April 10th, 2016

I cannot count numbers killed.
I have lost count of countries
their names, history, geography
I have forgotten their politics too
who is allied to who
which one is whose enemy.
I had heard of cold wars once
but now I know things are burning
in a furnace.
I have messed continents, forgetting their names
and which country is in which.
I know continents of hope
tumbling like bricks on greasy grounds.
I have forgotten communities
yes, I recall the European Community
aspiring for unity
but I’ve messed with the world
and, of course, my country
forgotten solidarity, camraderie.
My arithmetic loses vision
I cannot count numbers dead
nor of the living.

Ananya S Guha lives in Shillong in North East India. He has been writing and publishing poetry for the last thirty years, and his poetry has appeared in numerous online publications. He holds a doctoral on the novels of William Golding and currently is a senior academic in India's Indira Gandhi National Open University. Read other articles by Ananya S..

This article was posted on Sunday, April 10th, 2016 at 8:01am and is filed under Poetry.