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A River’s Journey: A Poem by Nida Khwaja

Amidst the snow-clad mountains I emerge,
The undercurrents in me seem to surge,

The mighty boulders come in my way,
My courage coaxes me to not identify them as hurdles come what may,

I carry on towards my goal,
Sometimes, anger takes its grip when I play a different role,

Unforgiving I become when I don’t spare,
Those who do not pay heed drown in me when I don’t bother to care,

As I move forward I get agitated to mingle with pollutants and waste,
Gloomily, I think about the reason why they discard harmful chemicals in haste,

On my way I do feel ecstatic when I see my devotees line the banks with their offerings,
They float in the holiness only to touch my heart as I bless to vanish their sufferings,

Not far away I witness a grief-stricken man ready to immerse,
The ashes of his beloved as carefully as the saint’s chanting of the sacred verse,

Whole-heartedly I welcome them all,
Some may not but some do listen to my call,

In large numbers they throng,
Yes, not only those who have committed wrong,

The rich, the poor, all take a dip in me,
I fulfill my goal to resurrect them pious and pure… of their sins they surely become free!!