Tonight, I wish I sing
Songs, euphonious,
With a host of winking stars,
In the dark beautiful moonless sky!

Tonight, I wish I wing
Over the seas, hills
And plains like free birds—
Praising Him, our Lord, so high!

Tonight, I wish I transform
Into swallows, numberless—
So that ammunition laden monsters,
I invade and destroy!

Tonight, I wish I float
Like a Chinar leaf,
On the waters of Dal
And our burdens, our sorrows I cry!

Qaisar Bashir Lone is author of Once Upon A Time, a translation of a Kashmiri novel Akh Dour by Bandsi Nirdoushand. He can be reached at his facebook handle @Qaiser Lone.