#NotInMyName

When these times shall pass

And these constant worries will cease

And when the dawn breaks,

It will not herald blood-soaked skies

At that time, mere regret will not suffice

A customary sorry will be a lip service

You might recall then, or may be not,

How the blood splashed day in, day out

You too had a stain on your fingernail, I swear to Facebook

Remember that, forever,

Whenever blood gives way to more blood

XXX

“He was in D.C. for three days.

He did not even say hello!”

A friend was telling,

“I would have told him, you know

how one might get asked these days

for a passport on random sunny days

You know they had stopped my car?

And did a pat down? It was a while ago

Should I be thankful that I am still alive and just let it go?

The other day I learned someone was arrested

No questions asked

And it was disorderly for him to ask why

Right here around the corner

No, he was not illegal, you know -

It seems that is law and order.

And did you hear about a guy who was shot,

because they thought he was an Arab?

Channels were blasting all day an info session on who is an Arab.

As if to ensure no one else will be mistaken for an Arab in future

Like that was really the point there.”

I sympathized with him,

But asked him if he would have also asked

What happened in Una,

Dadri and Saharanpur,

Mandsaur and Burhanpur

He took me to the side

And said in a hushed voice

“Be careful, there are many Bhakts here”

Huh! But so were you,

What has changed now?

“What can I say, friend,

I don't remember nothing, just my eyes being shut

There has not been a day without spine chills,

now that they have opened.”

Dude, what you can see,

You think others can’t?

In whose name this happens,

You really think they don't understand?

XXX

Let's not bother about progressives,

Call them frogressives and leave them aside

And the same for secular folks,

Call then sickular and leave them aside

Barring this tiny population,

every one else is pretty sensible

They are eagerly awaiting

the promised Ram-Rajya after all

May be you can appeal to them -

“Brethren, this is all for yourselves;

Join this mob, and liberate yourselves.”

Some may join, I won't be surprised

But, I am curios about those who may not join

What would you do to those folks

Those non-complying folks - non-frogressive and non-sickular

Would you hear them once before labeling them anti-national?

Each of them may embody that nameless, great woman -

Valya Koli* was her husband, she was mother to his children

Would those folks tell you what she had told Valya?

Literally, copy, paste, ditto same

At any cost, #NotInMyName

(*Story of how Valya became Valmiki appears at the beginning of the mythological epic Valmiki Ramayana. Valya, a theif and dacoit, once encounters the omnipresent Narada. Narada asks him why he steals and harms innocent people. He says he does that to feed his family and lead them into a prosperous life. Narada suggests that he confess to his family how he earns the living for family and ask them if they would be party to Valya's sins that he has committed while acquiring resources for their living. When asked, Valya's wife flatly refuses to be party to his sins and leaves him. Changed, Valya worships Rama in penance, and ultimately, comes to be known as Valmiki – the creator of a version Ramayana.)