By Smitha Vishwanath
We are connected-
By our shared border- you call it yours
and I call it mine,
By railway lines running from my hometown to yours-
tracks that have weathered many a storm
And stood the test of time,
By meandering rivers that take birth in your land
And reach their destination in mine,
By the fish that swim in those waters-
Unidentifiable whether they belong to my land or yours,
By swaying palms that tilt in my direction-
Did they come from seeds here
Or did the rivers and seas carry them
in their womb and deliver them to your side?
We are connected- by our many Gods-
they look at me in your land as they did, in my father's.
and I speak to them in my language; they understand.
Long before the years, we knew each other
We were connected-
By the mountains that run along our hometowns-
By the seas and oceans
I stand on one side of the horizon and you on the other.
Long before, we were connected
By the sun, the moon and the stars
You saw the same ones that I did...
and do.