At the Manganese Mines in India
by Dharmpal Mahendra Jain / February 14th, 2021
The edge of mines
covered with raw ores-
manganese sand and black iron.
Steele natives descending
in dark wells
with their hoe-shovels.
The girl
with an ageless face as manganese
dug her nest in the sand,
her hair washed with black clay
swirled in the air.
While making a home in the sand,
she weaved her desires
until her dry lips began to babble,
until her blank eyes opened to glow.
The bird began to flutter around its nest.
Near the deep dark well,
gunpowder blasted.
The bird flew away,
the sand house shattered.
The girl doesn’t know
about the bombing on Hiroshima.
She is not aware of the rich and poor nations.
She has no idea of Star Wars and peace.
She kept watching rising smoke
and the shattered sand house.
Her blank eyes stared.
Born (1952) and raised in tribal reserve of Jhabua, India, Dharm is a Toronto based Author. He writes in Hindi and has seven published books- five collections of satirical essays and two collections of Poetry. He is a columnist for four prestigious journals Chankya Varta, Vishwa gatha, Setu & VishwAa. His works have appeared in prestigious Hindi journals across the world. His poetry in English has been previously published in Poetry Pause, Fresh Voices, Harbinger Asylum, Akshara, Impspired, Piker Press, Scarlet Leaf Review, Dissident Voice, and Setu.
He can be reached at
dharmtoronto@gmail.com and on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/dharmpalmahendra/ Read other articles by Dharmpal Mahendra, or
visit Dharmpal Mahendra's website.
This article was posted on Sunday, February 14th, 2021 at 8:02am and is filed under Poetry.
