I donot know how many of you remember the movie "The Day After".
It is an ABC movie that ran on the TV, I believe, in 1982.
The first part of the following poem was written a few days
after watching that movie. The second part was written before
Gulf War II in the early nineties.
Today is the sixtieth anniversary of the day when
"a rain of ruin" filled the earth and the sky. I thought
I will share the poem below with you all.
The Dance of Shiva
------------------
I Which is the way it all began
A big bang or a continuous creation?
The egg or the chicken?
We know not; know we may never.
Swirls of dust and clouds of smoke hid forever the sun;
The night was long, dark and unending;
The cold was brutal, bitter and unbearable;
Rivers of poison ran in search of oceans of Death.
Charred trees, scarred walls and a welter of decay--
That was all that remained after the rain of ruin.
Nothing living was stirred by the winds of Death
What did not die was dying, slowly but surely!
Was it the Dance of Shiva?
Brahma had gone to sleep!
And so did Vishnu.
No phoenix will ever rise from those ashes.
When ignorance reigns and pride prevails--
That's the way it will all end.
Not with a whimper, but with a bang!
II Perhaps I dreamed, I'm glad it's a dream;
Perhaps I worried, I'm glad it's a nightmare;
Brahma is awake and at work-- creating;
Vishnu is wide-eyed and protecting us;
Shiva is dancing, but not the Dance of Death;
Let's pray for noble thoughts and nobler deeds.
But-- if ignorance reigns and pride prevails--
That's the way it will all end.
Not with a whimper, but with a bang!
Not with a whimper, but with a bang!
I hear again noises--
unclear noises of nuclear blasts!
Will all our creations--
art, science, poetry and culture--
Will all our creations end in an unholy bang?
Is it the end?
O Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva!
Enrich our knowledge with wisdom please!
Not with a whimper, but with a bang!
Om shaantih! - Peace!
- J K Mohana Rao
____________________________________________________
Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
<font face=arial size=-1><a
href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12ho45klb/M=362335.6886444.7839734.2575449/D=groups/S=1705020082:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1123336666/A=2894362/R=0/SIG=138c78jl6/*http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/arts_culture/?source=YAHOO&cmpgn=GRP&RTP=http://groups.yahoo.com/";>What
would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater?Donate or volunteer
in the arts today at Network for Good</a>.</font>
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
--
You are encouraged to post poetry, respond critically to the poems circulated
and participate in discussions. To post, email your message to
[email protected] OR post online at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/post/
Tell friends to subscribe to ZESTPoets by sending a blank email to [EMAIL
PROTECTED], OR, if they have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/join/
---theZESTcommunity--------------
[1] ZESTCurrent: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCurrent/
[2] ZESTEconomics: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTEconomics/
[3] ZESTGlobal: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/
[4] ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/
[5] ZESTPoets: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/
[6] ZESTCaste: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/
[7] ZESTAlternative: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTAlternative/
[8] TalkZEST: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TalkZEST/
---
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
