Shyam Rimal
The sparrows are chirping unabated
On the roof, on the lawns, and on the ground
People are playing cowra in the front yard
of the houses and shops,
Tube wells are running as always to rinse pots
and to wash clothes
Gossips and laughter are running as always
in the tea shops and inns
Some are flying in helicopters and planes very low
with high sound as always
Daughters are listening to music and watching
videos in laptops, as always
As if there was no panicking here at all
As if no destruction was unleashed
The earth did not split apart
No dust clouds were formed to cover the sky
Man was not trampled upon by his own houses and huts
He was not trapped at all
There were no rows and rows of dead bodies
No pinnacles of temples had dropped
Palaces and towers had not fallen
All are keeping mum and are busy in whispering and chit chat
As if the 12th of Baisakh, 2072 of the Bikram Era is now a history
Like the 1990, 2045 BS and so on
Here the moms are playing with the infants as usual
Here the families are spending the days, as usual
Yeah, nothing, nothing has happened
The dice have the same tickling sound
The tube well has the same hurtle.
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