The Silence, The Pause, The Voice

Dr Ranbir Laishram

The silence of the ruler
weighs heavy on the land.
The pause—
a hollow breath filled
with chaos, uncertainty and fear.

Then, a voice rises,
pleading for peace,
for reconciliation—
but the wounds run deep.

The broken threads
of ethnic life and trust
lie scattered on the ground.

They say—forget, forgive.
Yet each day,
the past returns,
etched in scars of exile,
sufferings of the displaced,
distress carried in the mind.
Can the scar fade?
Can the wound ever heal?

Though bitter to endure,
life inches forward.
Bearing its pain,
the heart consoles itself
with resilience,
step by step,
towards a fragile, trembling dawn