Far away, beyond the boundless Oceans
In lands alien, Perhaps
For more moolah and succour,
To tide over
The dearth of food and clothing.
Ah! ecstatic images emerge…
Somewhere deep in the hearts of villages
Several new houses erected
With newly earned wealth, abroad
One who returns…
For a glimpse of
Near and dear ones.
As one sets foot,
In lands native
Bonhomie sets in…
Villages enliven with festive celebration,
Dust raising village roads,
Singing and Dancing to reverberating drums,
Immersed in the fragrance of Paddy Fields
Oh! So, mesmerizing
How did one settle
In yonder lands foreign?
Here still lives, the poor
On grounds parched,
With dreams unfulfilled!
Here Markets conjure up illusions
to the deception of sentinels,
Authority charters policies,
Seemingly intimidating
What would one gain ,
Returning?
Two doors unfasten…
In directions obverse
One to fathom within,
One to traverse outside.
~Dr. Usha Rani Rao
Bangalore, India
Translated in English by Dr. Kavita Shastri