Poetry:
Mahesh Paudyal
Glass
Why did they choose a glass case
To preserve the dead body of the most powerful war hero
And place it in the middle of a town square
For his followers to see till eternity?
And why did they deploy men
In flesh and blood
To give it security?
The glass, you know, cracks
Both in heat and coldness
Like the present of the war hero
Like the future of the war hero
Man drips in sweats, even in the sun
Man, drips in drops, even in the rain
Like the dreams of the war hero
Like the reality of the war hero
Can the dead body of the war hero, some day,
Enter human hearts and survive,
Even if the glass panels are removed?
Even if the human guards are removed?
Translation: Poet Himself
