December 6, 1992

Once upon a time
Not so long ago
They existed in peace
Separate, yet one
Sharing tears and laughter
Dreams of a better future
Separate, yet One

Then came the Holocaust
And brought with it
seeds of distrust, sowing
them in the minds of the unsuspecting.
Walls of fire broke down
walls of stone and there
grew in place of it
The Great Divide.

They were now no longer One
What had come between them
could not be broken down.
The tears in their eyes mingled
with their sweat
as they ran away into the night
leaving behind years
of pain and toil.
They were butchered, molested,
torn apart

And the red drops on the floor
were blood
Not rose petals.

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A long-ago poem (1993).
Published in the St.Xavier's college magazine (1993), online poetry websites and several newsletters in India.