Gopal Parajuli
Let none of my friends
my well-wishers
and my relatives
standon a stormy path;
let no one who loves the world
stand on that way
rather, they might stand there
where the world offers them security
stand not because
others do;
the opponents of truth
are my adversaries too
and those adverse to me
are foes to you too
at this moment,
let no one come on the street
not even children and old ones
do not emulate those
who stand on the road
and let loose terror’s reign
and make a mockery of humanity
refrain from standing there
for, I know they are in combat dress
and are standing with guns in hand
this is the path where I and the storm travel
how aware are you of the storm’s annals?
It breaks rocks,
shakes hills!
How much do you know of it?
A storm carries away everything;
it doesn’t spare even IS!
[Madan Puraskar winner poet Gopal Parajuli is famous for his experimental poems and epics. His major works include Declaration of a New God, Proposal for a New World, Letter of a Jail Bird, A Soldier in Search of Peace and The End of Death, besides many other works of stories, plays and poetry. He lives in Kathmandu with his family.]