Rajeev Verma
The river remembers…
Stories from centuries ago…
The voices of elders…
Still echo today…
Elders often said,
“Never build your home by the river, my child,
For she never forgets her path…
“But today’s generation smiles and says,
“That’s an old tale, Grandpa,
Now we sell river-view apartments,
With lawns, swings, and selfie corners too!”
But the river…
Never forgot, never stopped, never tired,
She just kept flowing…
With her memories,
With her resolve…
“I am the mistress of this valley…”
We adorned her with stone jewelry,
We covered her sand with cement,
We erased her streams from Google Maps,
Gave them names like River View, Vyasa View…
And then one day…
A torrential rain opened the old files,
The river came…
Not angry, not violent…
Just to say —”I was always here,
It’s you who forgot me…”
Walls crumbled, roofs washed away,
People cried —
“We’ve lost everything!”
They blamed the government, stirred politics,
But the river only smiled…
And softly said…
“I’m only doing
What your elders once told you,
It’s you who forgot
That I’m not a guest…
I am the mistress of this valley…
“There’s still time, listen well,
Do not make the river your enemy,
She is life…If only you…Let her flow…
“Let her flow…”
RAJEEV VERMA 