#saynotowar

Two neighbours meet
At the crack of dawn
Each hastening to catch the early morning school bus
One embittered at the lack of comfort, the flimsy school sweater provides against the biting cold
The other laments over how unfair it is for young ones to wake up so early on cold winter mornings
Just then, the bright yellow bus arrives
Ushering the little ones towards the bus with early morning advice
Which often misses its target with the kids half in sleep
But the young mothers are content at having done their duty
The bus leaves and both the women depart
One an Indian, the other a Pakisani
Both unperturbed by the others nationality
One communicates in pure Urdu
And the other falters in her Hindi, often taking refuge in English
The common ground of mothehood, unites the two women
They discuss their picky eaters- their likes and dislikes
On how lactose intolerance is a reality
And how the overconsumption of chips hampers the appetite
And how wary their ears are of listening to baby shark repeatedly
The current tension between the two neighbouring countries
Has zero impact on their lives
Each one acutely aware
Of their helplessness
Of their limited sphere of control
Within their boundaries of home, where they decide what is to be cooked for lunch or dinner
Or the colour of their walls and curtains
 Amidst their feelings of hopelessness
 An earnest prayer escapes
 That peace prevails
 That no innocent blood is spilled
 That no mother has to mourn
 The early loss of her beloved son
 That no child has to return to an empty nest
 That no wife has to be divorced from the caress of her husband
 Both the ladies depart, only to meet again in the  late afternoon
 And then moan over the new cause of unrest.