In the shape of shadow

In the light from windows

With the motionless trees

On the afternoons without wind

I only imagine the dusty, dry grass

And memory fills in the hills and monsoon

I remember my people, not friends,

Barefoot rivals on the rich red clay

In between the stone path shrubs

They smell of toddy

But we share a spirit, a history

Though from different sides

They will not forget that cruel division

Why did you take it? My language,

Misery, meaning, death

Like theirs, all in a village, for melennia

Better to be humble in your lands

Than fighting elsewhere