Minab
Where are you when the rivers burn
Which home do you dwell in amidst the rubble?
Where now is the address of the soul
Who never could live, nor could die?
Who asked you to leave without begging
Who had asked you to come without this bargain?
Who decreed mangoes to not grow in winter
Were you blind, or do you lack a tongue?
Why do you feed the girls, too, to the maggots
Where do you think the sun will rise now?
Why do you exist, in name or breath
Which corpse of Minab shall be your home now?
Note: On 28 February 2026, an elementary girls' school in the city of Minab was struck by a U.S. missile, killing at least 180, mostly school girls, and injuring an estimated 95 others.
The poem was first published on 7 March 2026 as a tweet, here.
Ankur Agarwala
Ankur Agarwala, the editor of this magazine, is from India and currently based in Norway. Some of his published poems and stories can be found in, among others, Paper Wall and Barnwood Poetry Magazine (both now defunct), Ink, Sweat & Tears, Rattle, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, Mascara Literary Review, Shot Glass Journal, Halfway Down the Stairs, Voice & Verse Poetry Magazine and The Lake. His first full collection of poems, titled The Four Colors, was published in July 2020 (Hawakal Publishers: Kolkata). His poetry can also be found in anthologies Shimmer Spring (2020) and the Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English: 2021.
Twitter: @ankurwriter
Facebook: @ankurwriter
Instagram: @ankurwriter81