Intolerance, indifference

No one wants war,
or so they would like us to believe.

They
who would raise their eyebrows with sharp disdain
and return a phrase or two of omniscient rebuke
lest their verbose ‘points of view’ are thwarted
during a cup of tea by a less discerning colleague.

They
who would slap their offspring, own blood and flesh,
and leave it unfed for a lunch or snacks
if it hints non-compliance to their idiosyncrasy
and attempts to make its own point.

They
who would routinely, as a society,
ostracize, quarantine or drive to desperation & death
men and women for living lives
of their own race
of their own colour
of their own religion or
of their own choice.


They
who would discreetly have illegitimacy
in their fiscal dealings
in their public operations
in their traffic violations and
in their relationships.

They
have put up banners everywhere
have pasted advertisements of human despondency
have invited herds of attuned civilians
for a carnival against war-mongers.

And they expect these herds
Who
avoid to question, as a religion,
a megalomaniac office-boss
an over-bearing spouse
or, for that matter,
a misbehaving auto-rickshaw driver
a pushing bus-conductor
a street urchin wielding any damned flag
during ubiquitous ‘civil’ unrests.

They expect these herds
will clench their fists
will shout their lungs
will vouch a pledge each
against a Utopia they’ve dreamt since birth.

These herds
which feign unity only when hounded
which usurp the slightest power that comes in their way
which looks the other way at the sight of a dying beggar
which kills with primordial brutality
their kith & kin and neighbours, for no reason,

will stand up against all violence
at homes, streets, ghettos, towns and nations
and take up cudgels against take-over of societies

So they expect,
or so they would like us to believe.

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