In the darkness of a shamed night

In the darkness of a shamed night,

When bastard diseases patrolled Kashmir

Poetry was stolen from the dead

Verses erased from gravestones

Dates reversed, Irises trampled

Histories robbed

The old desolate widow houses of Jhelum -

Whose rooms were plotted by the

doomed architects of fate, were broken into

Their Gothic windows broken,

Their Mughal arches crooked,

Their doors empty frames bordered

only the most intricate woodwork from

Ishfan

The Pacicdhars* who used to

Live in attics, were all been exiled by

The thunderous impotence of mad men

Who set fire to autumn skies till

everyone was a

Refugee from Forgotten memories of

An ancient nation, their identities crushed under

one-ton military trucks

---

* Pacicdhars: Mythical guardians, which were believed to live in the attics of Kashmiri houses, and used to descend in the middle of night wearing wooden clogs, protecting the homes from spiritual ills.

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