Poetry as Protest: Capturing Current Affairs In Poems

I.

The Supreme Court, following Article 21 of the Constitution that guarantees the Fundamental Right to 'Protection of Life and Personal Liberty', has principally come up with the norm of 'bail as a rule' and 'jail as an exception', particularly in cases where accused are behind bars for a prolonged period without a trial. However, it is seen that in cases where the accused are Muslims or dissenters, this, their own settled norm, is not adhered to, thus trampling down the very essence of Article 21.

The Exception 

Bail is Rule

and

Jail the Exception 

Liberty a Norm

Incarceration the Exception 

But For 

Dissenters

Mirroring the Naked King

writing..

speaking..

living for The People

And For

'The Others' 

juss coz they are 'The Others'

to be identified by the clothes they wear

Tables get turned..

And

Exception becomes Rule

Rule the Exception.

II.

In 2003, the United States invaded Iraq under the guise of finding Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in the country. Thousands of innocents were killed. While no WMDs were found, the invasion exposed the US’ greed for oil. Years later, just recently, the US attacked Venezuela and captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Donald Trump announced to the world that after the takeover, major US oil companies would move into Venezuela, which has the world’s largest oil reserves, and refurbish badly degraded oil infrastructure. The move, once again, exposes the US’ greed for oil.

Straight from the Desk of Uncle Sam 

You a Nation

Be a Nation

You a Sovereign State

Happily be a Sovereign State

But

You have Oil

Lemme pump it out

It's mine

You nationalise Oil

You no more a Nation

You sell Oil in no Dollar 

You no more a Sovereign State

You are Terrorist

I declared Terrorist

WMD Terrorist

Narco Terrorist

This terrorist & That terrorist

worse than a paedophile terrorist

And

I know how to handle terrorists

Remember 45000 Iraqi

killed in a month

Hanging elected President with evidence zero in worth

and

Shia-Sunni violence..

Rebel wars

killing many thousands more

for 8 years than

And now

this elected President and his wife

Kidnapped I from bedroom with no strife 

So beware

Do not meddle n shed tear  

You a Nation 

Be a Nation 

You a Sovereign State 

Be a Sovereign State 

But if you have Oil

Lemme pump it out

It's mine 

We USA'cans Luv Oil

We eat Oil

We drink Oil

We swallow n breath Oil

We Fart Urine n Shit Oil

Intoxicated high on Oil

We forget Epstein n his File

Oil..Oil.. n.. only Oil..

III.

This poem is deeply inspired by Martin Niemoller’s anti-nazi poem ‘First They Came..’, wherein each one is complacent that he is not a victim till it ultimately comes to him. Today's India is much similar to Nazi Germany in many ways. Poem 'Thanx God', while being a satire on malevolent patriarchal Hindu religion, brings forth the futility of Dalit thought that they being Hindus will not be eyed by Nazi alike fascist Hindutva brigade. 

Thanx God..!

Thanx God..for not making me.. 

Akhlaq to get lynched

Afzal to be noosed 

Ethesham to incarcerate.. 

with no reason

Omar to be in jail without trial 

Jafris to burn alive

And thanx that

am not 'The Other’..

to be

condemned day and night.. 

till 

death and beyond..

.

.

and

.

.

And Thanx God for not making me..

Father Stains to get charred with sons

Father Stan dying for a sipper

Nido and Angel lynched with racist slur 

and 

Thanx God for not making me Adivasi of Dang 

Kandhamal 

Narayanpur 

Bastar 

Kondagaon  

Nabarangpur

Gajapati and Balasore 

and.. so..on..

to get my dwelling ashed

with no land for my ’Resting in Peace’.. 

.

.

and

.

.

Thanx God for not making me..

'the' dissenter

the so called

Communist

Marxist

Leninist

Maoist

urban naxal

and the what not - neither

to be owner of ruined life for

voicing opinion.. 

.

And

.

Moreover

All thanx to you

the praise worthy 

one and all '33 crore' together

for not making me

'The Women' either

to be raped.. n..

enslaved for - ever..

Lastly

Thanx God for making me..

'the man' of

world's 'the best' religion

thanx..thanx.. thanx God..

thanx for making me 'the man'

of world's best culture..

…

 _"Hey you..yyouu_

_Youuu filthy aashole..untouchable_

_You mother fucker_

_sis fucker_

_You scum on earth_

_You moron swine_

_Son of a bitch_

_How dare you pass by_

_our house_

_with slippers in your_

_feet.._

_Seems your ass is not_

_bashed for long.._

_Hey guys come..come..n..see.._

_this bastard defying the divine.. walking pass our house wearing slippers"_

…

Ohhhhhh... sorry..sorry master

In the praise of God 

I forgot to hold my slippers on head..

while passing your mansion master..

No..no.. please don't hit me..

please ..please..

see..

I kept my slippers on my head..

please.. don't hit me please..

am sorry...

.

.

.

Oh..Thanx God.. they hit me hard..

for

Breaking 'your rule'..

but dint kill me.. 

Please forgive me oh

almighty God

for

annoying the 'Lords on land'..

those you deputed to..

keep your _Dharma_ upright....

Thanx God.. 

Milind Bhawar is Ex- AGM, Air India/AI ESL, ex-consultant, engineering - Tech Services, Air India - TATA