Unknown Land – Anju Sharma
Title: “Unknown Land”
My ancestors germinated
from dehydrated soil in Hindustan
Flowered vividly in colour
Grew with roots so strong
Even massacres were an ineffective herbicide
Women talked in dim light
Wiping sweat from their brows
Wondering why their daughter cried
She had jewellery and a wealthy merchant
Here to take her to a new climate
Why is she ungrateful to leave the dust and humid air?
Too stubborn to set a place at the table for new plants
She accompanied him
Had a beautiful new tulsi and a baby sapling
They too were plants whose roots lay in the East
yet navigating climates in the West
They were confused and angry
How had mother acclimatised to both?
Mother’s advice was this
Cross-pollination is a wonderful thing
We were not born in one country
We were born on one planet
Worry not about their land and our soil
The world progresses with synergy
Conflict will uproot us all
By Anju Sharma
