English Literature – Poetry – ☆ Aylan ☆ – Hemant Bawankar

Hemant Bawankar

(This poem is dedicated to a three-year-old Syrian boy ‘Aylan’ who represents all children who left this world under shadows of war. The dead body of ‘Aylan’ was found unattended on the beach of Turkey in the month of September 2015. The world will forget him one day, but, one cannot forget the questions that he left behind him. The Hindi and German Version of this poem is also available. )

☆ Aylan  ☆

The calm

sea shore

and he

calm, serene, innocent

Aylan

rolled inverted,

No…. no…

forcibly laid down

by the sea.

He does not know

how he reached on

the deserted beach.

How he missed

fingers of daddy.

Leaving the world

and everyone

in deep sorrow.

He left his homeland

with parents

to see and experience

the new world,

golden world

in the shadow of parents

to play

with new friends

in a new country

in new surroundings

with new friends

with elder brother

where,

he will not hear

any gunshots

anyone’s screams.

He will be able to hear

only and only

birds’ chirping sounds

children’s laughter.

Children!

Whether they are

of any colour,

of any religion.

Because,

he does not know

and

does not want to know

that –

What is a country?

What are the borders of the country?

What is a citizen?

What is citizenship?

What is a refuge?

What is a refugee?

What is terrorism?

What is a terrorist?

He just knows it

that

the earth is one

the sun is one

and

the moon is also one

and

these all are together

for the entire world.

There are so many human beings

but,

the humanity is one.

He does not know

why his father was taking them

to another world

in the dark

across the sea.

Maybe,

there,

he will not hear

any gunshots

any cries.

But,

perhaps

the sea did not like it.

The sea was angry

and began to throw them

vigorously

high

very high

in the dark

he was very afraid of the water

and

did not see anything in the dark.

He did not see his home,

even mom,

brother and dad too.

Maybe,

he was the youngest

and

lighter than all.

Hence,

high-rise waves of the sea

quietly put him to sleep

on the beach

enough,

………. now dad will be here soon!

© Hemant Bawankar, Pune