by Shikhandin
Dissent
The past is a nameless mass of deeds
committed without consent, and words hurled
only to be shamed into silence. To crack apart
that bedrock of self-belief. Underneath
my skin, the hounds are baying
to be let out. The moon shines its
slippery torch upon a forested floor. Nettles and
thorns rustle amidst the rabbit grass. I hear. I
hear them calling like sleepless squirrels. Shadow-flit
figures play peek-a-boo. Soon they will come
forward en masse. Stories will fall
like leaves from the terror infested canopies,
and settle down, turning into mulch. We,
have taken a stand. We are standing
on the broken bones
of faith and dignity. Someday, our songs
of protest will churn up such anger that
history will cringe at the sound, and huddle
closer to truth. For every arrow, bullet and
trap, a hundred more of us will emerge. We
are not mushrooming in the wild. We are the wild.
Once we used to disintegrate beneath the light.
We lived like shuffles in the background. Some
stuffed their ears. Some gagged their mouths.
Some plucked out their eyes. And, the tongues
of yet others lolled. None of that now.
No more tortoise formation. No more guerrilla
tactics. Our hands are blistered with memories.
The ghosts will turn into mist as we wait
for the winds to whip up a shiver
on the stubbled fields of our discontent. We will turn
vapour into ice. Our knife-edged resolve will not
splinter under the spotlight. We have set
out snares for the echoes. Distributed buckets
for collecting the blood
from each and every pound of flesh owed.
The days of bathing corny feet with tears
are done. Watch us
smash the heads of mandates. Uproot
diktats and sow afresh, the un-agented
seed. Inhale the scent of a new order.
Feel the thunder beneath your feet.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shikhandin is the pen name of an Indian writer who writes for both adults and children. Her published books as Shikhandin include Immoderate Men (Speaking Tiger Books) and Vibhuti Cat (Duckbill-Penguin-RHI). Prior to that, a novel and a fiction short story were published. A story collection is forthcoming from Penguin-RHI. Her poetry and prose have won numerous awards in India and abroad. She has been nominated twice for Pushcart. Her work has been widely published nationally and internationally, in print and online journals and anthologies.