FOUR

Four is the dreary intensity
Of shock, of anguish, of despair, of questions,
Of self-blame.


What if, what if, what if, what if


unwanted phone calls
uninvited knocks on the door
unsolicited bad news


Four hearts, four faces, four smiles
Four pairs of feet, four pairs of hands
Four into ten fingers
Four into ten toes
Four innocent lives,
Four loved souls.


When four becomes pain
Mizo men and women, young and old
Rise to the occasion
Amidst rain, discomfort, cold, hunger


Four may be a hurt unparalleled 
But it will never stand for solitude
Here in the land of the Zo people
For as long as the sons and daughters of the soil
Remember the narratives of 'tlawmngaihna'
Whispered by the spirits of their ancestors.


When four becomes vague memories
Faint smiles and faded pictures
When four becomes hushed warnings
By concerned parents
In the mortal world


Four will be immortal
At the feet of their Saviour
Playmates of angels for eternity.


Four new smiles 
To make the stars brighter
Up there.



In memory of the four Mizo children aged between 4 to 10 who got swept away by a flash flood while they were playing on a riverbank in Ramthar, a locality in Aizawl. Their bodies were eventually recovered by search parties organized by the YMA (Young Mizo Association).