An Ox for a Wad of Paan
By Thida Shania
What does this air suffer from?
My lungs suffocate when I breathe.
Why does the sun look desolate?
There is twilight without dawn.
How can I satiate hunger?
An ox swapped for a wad of Paan.
Where can I hide my body?
Corpses, everywhere in every house.
How can I die in my land?
My kin have been buried alive.
How can I cross the border?
Rivers bleed human blood.
What happened to the Queen of Justice?
I search for her everywhere —
nowhere I find her.
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