By K Sheshu Babu
A caged bird sings
All the birds thronged
To hear the songs of this bird
Which inspired
Them because these songs were
Intertwined with oppressed peoples' lives.
The caged bird sang of freedom and liberty
Nature and its beauty,
Various forms of struggles
In Jharkhand hilly and forest areas.
Some vultures were nervous,
Implicated this bird with false charges
Imprisoned in a cage, tortured,
Questioned and assaulted
Till it lost its physical strength to fight
But had the mental strength and 'might'
To face the situation till its last breath!
The bird succumbed one day
And became vultures' prey
Leaving its admirers in sorrow
Who dreamt of a 'better tomorrow'!
Its songs still reverberate in the distant areas
And the sharp voice stings
Its detractors but all its friends and lovers
Hum the tunes of this 'bard' with wet eyes
Courageously march forward
Without looking ' backward!
(For Fr. Stan Swamy and Jiten Marandi, folk singer of Jharkhand, who was a member of Committee for release of political prisoners. Source: article published in Telugu monthly 'Vasanthamegham' Oct 1, 2021)
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K Sheshu Babu is a writer from everywhere, heavily influenced by Assamese poet Bhupen Hazarika’s ‘ Ami Ek Jajabor’ (I am a wanderer). Some of his publications, including poems, have appeared in Countercurrents.org, Virasam, counterview.org, counterview.net, Leaves of Ink, Tuck magazine, Scarlet Leaf Review, poemhunter.com, Dissident Voice and Sabrangindia.
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