One
study of reverence
Imagine the absolute reverence of their submission
Imagine the absolute substance of character
their bodies being container to humanity
just a dozen years of flesh and bones
Fateh and Zorawar contradicting childlike existence meant to be,
Gobind present in many ways brought a thousand rays of light to the fort
Healing with an embryonic innocence dismissing brutal sacrifice
Letting go of older brothers along with the confidence they taught
Pretended smiles of younger both nourished tender hearts engulfed by evil
Sitting into elevating prayer even when facing a charcoal end
Brimming with opal clarity while responding to satanic taunts Nourished in warm embrace
on a cold prison floor
Gathering simple praise while paying rapt attention to duty
Four young pragmatic boys in complete reverence to the Gobind
Imagine the absolute reverence of their submission
Imagine the absolute substance of character
Warrior saints
blithe, tender shoulders into armors Obedient sons
seek permission, step into battlefield Loving grandsons
eyes glean for strength, their Nana’s eyes Humble leaders
ignorant of flaws in the hemisphere Lonely poets
unfold hymns of their forefathers Ambitious men
surmount darkness with opulent bravery
Eager students
survival skills alongside weaponry tactics Savior sons
standing atop the hill, a strapping pride they exude self-effacing yet self-assured
present yet away
playful yet somber Fellow wanderers Certain of no rest
In complete obeisance
Imagine the absolute reverence of their submission
Imagine the absolute substance of character
Two
study of sacrifice
Imagine the absolute reverence of their submission
Imagine the absolute substance of character
Imagine the inconceivable sacrifice
Chardiyaan Kalaan said the Gobind
an orange sky celebrated that evening in unison
a vast river, winding nourishing thirsty souls an inheritance of blood
imprinting sanctity to tears in confinement, silently sifting
strength from scriptures
from memories of their mother, from mercy of the Gobind,
from prayer chants of Mataji, from a manna of faith innocence clasped within
the folds of a withering dupatta Fateh stood brave
Zorawar charged victory, Mataji patted the pleats immaculately in place
of their turbans as they stood tall
she continually wiped tears tenderly the boys held hands harsh insides of cold towers
together teaching
contributing to our reckoning spiritual playfulness
juxtaposed with a soldier’s service cheerfully extricate
themselves from a destructive execution In demise
they walked princely into rich hues of the sunrise In being intimate
they found voices that eased the external chaos
In submission
they laid foundations of healing frontiers In departure
they emerged into their wholeness towards a
moment of colossal victory
giant in spirit, bricked into freedom, as a fluttering poem escaped the walls horizons scattered surrender
into an endearing welcome Fateh and Zorawar
torsos stood tall
all of 9 and 7, they forgave tenderly the bricking was trivial, it was rather
their playful dismissal of it
that was monumental, elevating
the space, in its worst historical moment
Imagine the absolute reverence of their submission Imagine the absolute substance of character Imagine the inconceivable sacrifice
Three
study of separation
Imagine the absolute reverence of their submission
Imagine the absolute substance of character
Imagine the inconceivable sacrifice
Imagine the intersection of love and separation
Buried alive in an effervescence of blessings Battlefield a penance of armored turbans Magnificent sons an ode to a father’s composure
Martyrdom discerning fragrance of a mother’s prayers a luscious outburst of prayers
O my sprightly sons, may you go rapt into the light May you find solitude within the bricks
May persistence find its way through the walls May your young heads lay restful on tiny turbans
May your voices be sure in death as they were in life
May gilded skies bring you home to His Durbar May your steps create an arc across the bleeding sky
May deliverance from handcuffs relieve festering wounds
May you hold each other as I shed a thousand tears May the future sing stories of your undying devotion May my mourning commemorate every warrior saint
May the Guru’s poems stand beside you in pertinent moments May you be always be possessed with grace
A magnanimous sacrifice a lineage of spiritual valor
an uplifting story of steadfastness
Imagine the absolute reverence of their submission Imagine the absolute substance of character Imagine the inconceivable sacrifice
Imagine the intersection of love and separation
