They Said

NOTE:

I am not usually involved or like to get involved in political writings. But, this particular incident which occurred a few days ago at UNA, Gujarat where Dalits were beaten brutally by certain police people and their video was taken and made viral shot lacerated pains in every part of my mind. I wonder what is happening to us? Where are we heading? Are we thinking with our own minds or someone else's? What are we getting from differentiation? Why aren't we satisfied by a peaceful society? do we need more Gandhis and Ambedkars? Aren't we the advanced generation? All these questions struck to me and forced me to pen down this little piece of poem. It is not the usual "poem." It is sarcastic yet poignant. Go ahead and have a read.

  

THEY SAID

10 pm:   “dinner time”, they said.

11 pm:   “the animal by the lane should be fed, it is written there in those holy books”, they said.

12 am:   “the animal cries, mooing”, they said,

1 am:    “the animal dies a plastic choked death”, they said.

1.30am: “the dustbin bag is missing”, they said

7 am:      “the animal corpse lies like a stone”, they said;

              It’s a mess, they said.

8 am:     “HOLY corpse shouldn't be touched by us.” they said.

9 am:     ‘’tiny, thin man comes there,

             Calls some UNHOLY looking people, 

             Picks up the untouched HOLY corpse lying haywire”, they said. 

9.30 am: unholy thin man skins the dead animal, 

             His child at home skins away his hunger, he said.

10 am:    “Holy corpse is skinned;

             Unholy man should be beaten to death”, they said.

11 am:    They catch hold of him and lash him,

              A crow eats through the leftover food, "the bird is holy", they said.

12 pm:     I fumble the holy book

              For the names of UNHOLY men I look.

1 pm:       I am left with only one name,

              Name of a HOLY/UNHOLY person called HUMAN, I read.

2 pm:     I am flaying the corpses of the books,

             I am flaying the corpses of what THEY talk

             I am flaying the corpses that decide the parameters of people

             I flayed, I flayed, I flayed, and found no names,

             I wait.

             I wait for someone to beat my unnamed humanity

             I wait.