As I thought of the narrow dusty lanes,
Of what had been an honorary ‘white’ country,
The thought of burning fenders and broken panes
Invoked fears of futile wars.
That disrupt peace and tranquility-
That rightfully belong to a city.

It was a thought of ‘Hiroshima’
Where war planes had left behind-
Charred bodies and gulled buildings
Without thinking of being kind.

Those who had survived the blow,
Would have been considered to be-
A little lucky, but lo,
Only time could heel
All the grief, they would feel.

I could sense a lad come up behind,
With eyes brimming with tears,
And heart pounding in fear.
Under a cloud of smoke we saw,
No one to stand by law,
As charred bodies were taken away,
Like huge bundles of burnt hay.
After two decades of existence on earth,
Happiness and joy were surely in dearth.

The 7th of August it was in 1945,
Also his sister’s birthday.
Determined to make it in a way,
Worth remembering for decades to come,
He ‘d invited friends who’d add to the fun
And jugglers and clowns for summersaults.

All would be there
To make the celebration worthwhile
Except his older brother, who was away where
War was in progress but would soon come to an end.
For his welcome they would spend,
Nothing less than a thousand yen.
For he had made his motherland proud.
And they’d soon reunite and hear-
About his bravery amidst a large crowd.

It was in these thoughts that he was engulfed
Hence not realizing how fast time flew away.
Soon the shrine clock struck six
Breaking and disturbing his flow of thoughts.

There was still some time before his family woke up,
On a holiday morning,
They’d love some cocoa in the new wooden cup
So off he went, to the next door lodging,
To get some cocoa for everyone,
For money, he’d look in the closet for some.

Many had arrived at the city shrine,
But were suddenly taken by surprise,
When all of a sudden, they saw fighter planes
Swirling above the electric mains
Leaving them to gaze,
Suddenly one of them,
Dropped a bomb that set the city ablaze.
Within minutes the whole show was over,
And a city built over hundreds of years-
Was simply left with memories to hover.

When this young lad had hoped-
To make the day a memorable one,
How was he to know that without his efforts,
The day would be remembered by generations to come.
By not his family alone,
But by the children across the globe.
Not as his sister’s birthday,
But when innocent people were burnt at bay,
In the leaping fires of death.

Despite the ruins left behind,
Solely for saving ‘American’ grace.
War hasn’t been halted,
But instead dictated-
To lurk in our minds as the most powerful weapon,
That threatens the lives of innocent civilians.

What ever be the advancement scientists have made,
Invention of nuclear weapons still remain,
The most disastrous of them all,
That can damage cities once and for all.
Perhaps we should return to peace in time
Leaving such disasters only for mime.
And work to spread the message of peace,
That will destroy the bomb atleast.