War or Peace

by Ananya S. Guha / May 24th, 2026

What war or wars are you talking about?
I see peace everywhere
At least in the city where I live
The crumbling ruins of discontent
Are in the blood
In different parts of a festering world
Or the rising prices of petrol
Or the emptiness of gas cylinders
That does not affect peace
They simply state that in this country
There is misery yet to come
That through the abyss of ages
Has been more than perfunctory

I can just wait and watch
To see the world grow older
And fissiparous
But that has always happened
Even if the history books

Today, feverishly rewrite
It.

Peace is anathema to war
Peace is anathema to every
Living soul especially to the
Ones who live in peace
Amidst the rubble of broken mirages

Can I have something to eat?
The voice is very close…
Live in peace, then only will
Some meals come your way

Among the garbage heaps
Close to railway tracks
Smouldering with war
Or peace…

Ananya S Guha lives in Shillong in North East India, where he was born and brought up. He has been writing and publishing his poetry for the last forty years. His poetry has been published in both electronic and print formats such as: Indian Literature, Other Voices, Osprey Journal, Glasgow Review, The Literary Nest, Up The Staircase, Asia Writes, Art Arena, Praxis Online, Muse India, Your One Phone Call, In Between Hangovers, The Peeking Cat Magazine, Post Colonial Text among others. He has also written widely on educational and social matters. He has ten collections of poetry and his poetry has been anthologized in various collections of Indian poetry in English. He holds a doctoral on the novels of William Golding. Read other articles by Ananya S..

This article was posted on Sunday, May 24th, 2026 at 8:00am and is filed under Poetry.