The Heart Breaking Incident / ਸੀਨਾ ਪਾਟਣ ਦੀ ਗੱਲ Poem by Sadhu Binning

at the same shore of the ocean
where once stood Komagata Maru
and went back
without kissing the shore sand
shrieking like a hungry elephant
facing the guns

now sitting amidst
the scattered boulders
the driftwood, the gravel, the sand
I wonder how they witnessed
the scene
and listened to
the voices of our grandfathers

I try to enjoy the music of the waves
but only the angry Punjabi voices
from the Maru reach my ears
I ask the walking stones
about the heart-breaking incident

they laugh
turn their faces and walk away