Frantic phone calls spiderweb across families
college sessions terminate 2 days after they start
lights for a wedding lie still, unlit,
in anticipation, in unclarity
an indefinite curfew imposed
the night before an orphan was to be married.
Kashmir lies still,
veins taut in alarm,
too much stillness
for a possibility of war.
~ Saadia
Wrote this on the 4th of August when it was still unclear what was going to happen, there were rumors of war and Kashmir was gripped with a fear that was impossible to swallow. 65+ days of communication blockade and 90+ days of internet shutdown later, here we are, still counting the days.
