The children wanted to touch the ooze of mountain snow but the caravan fearing a cloudburst did not stop
the children were undeterred
When the clouds retreated the caravan saw smoke rising from a city in flames
the children didn’t flinch
The caravan leader said Ninety fought fifteen were shot and nine were married off
even so the children showed no signs of fear
Stopping for dinner when the caravan roasted a sheep the children were stunned into silence
Translated from the Punjabi by Sarabjeet Garcha
Swami Antar Nirav is a Pothohari, Punjabi and Hindi poet. He is a resident of Jammu. He has received his higher education from Annamalai University. Pothohari has a special place in Punjabi poetry. He has authored two poetry collections titled Kujh Baqi Hai in 2019, by Kirrat publications and Nahin in 2022 by Copper Coin Publications.