The Peace that Passeth Understanding

What lovely streets, clean
As a whistle.
And shopfronts safe with padlocks,
Unhassled by hangers-on.
Schools and colleges grand
In their uninhabited architecture.
And hospitals never as sparse
Of patient and infection, and Medical
Stores with no need replenishments
In view of such preponderant good health.
After centuries of noise, the town
Experiences a peace that passeth
Understanding.
Never had dogs and security guards
Such free run, safe from human intervention. 

For years we sought to know how best
To administer cleanliness and peace
But failed.
Now we know the best way is to let
People be safely ensconced at home,
Or be jailed.
As curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
And the lordly Chinar fades upon the hill,
The peace of heaven falls upon the town,
Now rid of the people who make it hell.

Badri Raina