Where Are The Children?

Winding along the narrow road up the hillside,

On the right, an amusement park –
But wait! Where are the children?
A little further, a near deserted village
With cows and stray dogs roaming about…

In the third house along the road,

A family of three – just seated for lunch,
But hey, where are the younger ones?
The three at the table ate silently.
The grandmother peers at her son,
Who was taking a break from the farm
To mourn his young child’s passing
In the accident along the busy hillside –

The school bus taking the village kids

To the town school nearby
Had crashed into the hillside,
Wiping away an entire generation
From the now silent village!

(Composed in Panchgani, October 2015)