Tuesday, April 06, 2021

𝐀 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠

---By Badri Raina

These days I close my eyes a lot
And see beloved places;
Walkers down the river bank
Show home in open faces.

Light that fades over the lake,
Like a soft, woollen receding,
Recalls the warp of innocence,
That weaves a cloth of healing.

I see cities turn to dust,
And the oceans rise to sink
Great monuments of cleverness
As offal offering.

Elders long since dead and gone
Beckon from a glen in the heart;
I think they will be there in love
As my hour comes to depart.

I did not wish away the world
While I lived among its shards
I did what I could for love,
In broken and bleeding yards.

But now, as millions carry on
The fight against the dragon,
My eyes shut all on their own,
Sighting a far-away wagon.
 
-
Dr Badri Raina, 80, is an eminent  Indian poet and political writer who has stood for secularism, democracy and the rule of law in his country. As a political writer, he has frequently written articles, defending the rights of religious minorities, which have increasing been under attack at the hands of Hindutva parties and their militias.