TWENTY CANDLES

I may not be a soldier at the border,
But I am a soldier at my heart.
I use my words to make their feelings consider,
Because they shelter us by living worlds apart.

The cross-firing at the frontier,
Doesn't involve only exchanges of gunshot.
It's readiness to die without any fear,
But still feeling gratified that we fought.

Blanket of melancholy whelmed around,
Submerging me in the darkness of sorrow.
Brutality shown by the foes left me spellbound,
Makes me think if there will be any morality left by morrow.

Their every call or letter is sort of final goodbye,
Because life is so uncertain and tentative.
You don't know whether you'll live tomorrow or die,
As the harsh reality of death is not preventative.

Left behind are widows and children who cry,
You can't understand the agony of heartache.
By living with only few memories of those who die,
Feelings you feel are worse than heartbreak.

Suffering from the pain of losing their spawn,
Not everyone is brave enough to sustain.
Accepting the fact that their child is gone,
But the emptiness and distress they fell still remain.

They outshine themselves from the rest,
By shedding tears of proudness and might.
Telling saga by keeping their emotion at its best,
Because they are martyrs who died with pride not fright.

BY PRAGYA GUPTA
{THE NINE MUSES}

Twenty candles is a tribute to all the soldiers who relinquished their life for INDIA. Each candle signifies the sacrificial soul of the soldiers who died in the heart wrecking incident of Galwan Valley. May their spirit find happiness in the hereafter.