Barren Hills

No glass in the windows
a shell hole in the roof

wretched tanks, old
fighter jets and rust kissed guns

lie around
as discarded toys.

In the distance
traits of dust

rises from
Anglo-American vehicles

running after
the Taliban cocoons.

Fighter bombers
passes overhead repeatedly

cough, cold and
stomatch bug rules.

Nearby,
a seven year old child

picks up
dried animal droppings,

the wild trees
are all gone.

Hills are all
barren brown

and chocked with pebbles and mud
is the Kokcha rivers throat.

American soldiers marches on
the memory of Vietnam
still hangs heavily on their core.

Bhuwan Thapaliya was born in Kathmandu, Nepal and is one of the most widely read Nepali poets writing in English today. Thapaliya, who works as an economist, is the author of four poetry collections. His books include the recently released Safa Tempo: Poems New and Selected (Nirala Publication, New Delhi,http://niralapublications.com/new-booksarrivals/ ) and Our Nepal, Our Pride (Cyberwit.net) narrative verses of love, peace, and human understanding.
(http://www.amazon.com/Our-Nepal-Pride-Bhuwan-Thapaliya/dp/8182531152) .
Poetry by Thapaliya has been included in The New Pleiades Anthology of Poetry and Tonight: An Anthology of World Love poetry (http://www.skylinepublications.com/TONIGHTWorldLovePoetry/TONIGHTWorldLovePoetry.htm) as well as in literary journals such as Urhalpool, MahMag, Kritya, FOLLY, The Vallance Review, Nuvein Magazine, Foundling Review, Poetry Life and Times, Poets Against the War, Voices in Wartime, Taj Mahal Review, Strong Verse, poetseers.org, theasiamag.com, asianamericanpoetry.com, and more. Thapaliya has read his poetry and attended seminars in venues around the world, including South Korea, the United States, Thailand, Cambodia, and Nepal.