Natasha! Natasha!

 
You might attend the last supper or march in protest,
Mount a horse, or load the gunpowder
With each step you take, you get closer to Kurukshetra.
 
Should you roll the dice, you might have to take up arms;
And every fight is about escaping from one.
 
If you say “this is my house” or
“What a beautiful flower!” or
“Let’s enjoy the evening together” or
say you want a peaceful life,
You, however, are developing a counter-strategy.
 
A girl who was lacerated by moonlight on her balcony
The boy who suffered his first wound on the battlefield-
Both felt captivated and unbound.
 
People try to explain why war is inevitable.
Even if they claim war brings peace,
I am not convinced.
 
As he turns in his graveyard,
Tolstoy still murmurs Natasha’s name.
As I dozed off over his massive work, he whispered:
“The more you seek peace, the more restless you become”.
 
~
 
From Ontari Chela Madhya Okkatte Mana Amma (1987)
Translated by poet, May 2022.

One Reply to “Natasha! Natasha!”

  1. What a conclusion!!!
    “The more you seek peace, the more restless you become”.
    పరిగెత్తిన గొద్దీ అందుకోలేం
    అందుకోడానికి పరిగెట్టాలన్న భావనే నిరాశాజనకం.

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