Representational Image

Dear Nation,  
hope you remember

Last year,   
around the same time

while corpses were
flowing in the rivers

A Modern Nero
was busy feeding the peacocks..
and posing for ads declaring 
sab changa si.. 

Empty lungs of
this great nation
choked by the vikas
gasped 
for a little bout free air 

A Fuhrer, 
who denied the dead
honourable  funeral
and
dignity of a  number... was
shortlisted for the award of 
"Global Life Saver" 

Dare you forget,
Oh nation, 
any of this, each of this
everything about this .. 


Or otherwise  tomorrow
the folklore and school texts...

parade the perpetrators as victims ..
promote fear as faith..
discount the murders as  suicides 
and 
celebrate Vinash as Vikas...

*The poet is a Karnataka-based journalist and activist.

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