Poem: Our Soul Blues
The pain of war affects mothers and their children. Imagine a mother’s soul suffering the blues of the war, and looking at it every day. Either side loses when it comes to the mother’s suffering. No war is worth it.
Poems: Our Soul Blues
The blues of my soul reaching
The depths of my motherhood
Like the immortal glaciers
Till now, it was simmering beneath
Now, coming to the surface
Silent but still violent
Oppression in uniform
Drawing an ever-shrinking line
Taking away their inches
Barb-wire fences and
Ten feet high walls
Guarded with guns
Forget an olive branch offer
Wrecking whole olive orchards
But worse — we will suffer today
But they are stealing our tomorrow
A perfect little one I made
The sprouts of this soil
They will stay rooted
Look around what they love
The azure sea and the blue sky
Our perfect tomorrow
Can’t be erased today or ever
Bring the honest peace
Let us all go home
Or whatever is left
Our children are waiting
To erase the blues of our soul.
~Ashok Subramanian © 2023
