ON THE NEED FOR INDO-PAK RECONCILIATION








Surely we can talk again,


without using cloven tongues


that lisp and hiss


cleft meanings,


disguising our true intent.





Surely we can smile again,


with teeth washed clean


of each other’s blood,


mould lips into the forgiving kiss


Jesus gave to Judas Iscariot.





Surely we can touch palms again


without losing caste,


hold fast in an embrace


that will keep us face to face


as future friends, not yester-foes.





Surely we can age together,


teach your youth and mine,


what they need to know,


about how close we came


to committing joint infanticide.





Surely we can offer a common prayer


in our separate dialects


to our separate, equal Gods.


Have we not proof enough


that my God is not stronger than yours,


nor yours any stronger than mine?








[Published in DAWN, 10 August 2003, and also in WHNE BUSH COMES TO SHOVE & OTHER WRITINGS]