Cloaked

Remember Brutus?

Yes, the same whom

Caesar claimed a friend?

Double crossed him

And

Stabbed him from back

Without remorse.

Then

Mark Antony

Stepped forward

To address the Nation

“Friends, Romans, Countrymen

Lend me your ears

I come to bury Caesar

Not to praise him…”

How did Brutus benefit by the act?

History repeats itself

Political animosity

Leads to corruption

Power corrupts

True

Money rules the world

Who knows it better

But

You and Me?

The game begins

Gathers speed

Seeds sown

Seeds grown

Flourish

Burn

Selfish interests

Bloat and gloat

Sides  burst

Fat pesters

Time runs

Out of hand

Brutus’ Cassius’

Sign a pact

Grass dries

They can’t rest

Up and up

They plan

Collide

Differences remain

Unjustified

Brutus,

Cassius

Macbeths all

Hide behind

To kill

To stall

Safe and sound

My countrymen be

Bees do flutter

To sting

You and Me

Their empty promises

Do not believe

The sun does rise

Bask in the heat

The moony layers

Will soon burn thee

Beware,

Beware

The whirlpools dug

Once caught

It will suck

Your life

Your fortune

Day and night

As they grow

In their might!

Devout Saints

Rama Sita

Sita Rama

Vanvasi

Bharatvasi

Ayodhya vasi

Expelled

Gladly walked away

Hand in hand

Without remorse

No “gila”

No “shikva”

No wounding words

For anyone

A born prince

Born to rule

Crossed

No ulterior boundary

Invited no pity

No forces to destroy

Calm prevailed

Fourteen years hardship

Silently

Happily shouldered

Ravana destroyed peace

Hanuman emerged

Revived Devoted Laxman

Burned Lanka

The golden Lanka

Ayodhya

Again awaits

Maryada Purushottam

In steps Hanuman

Smiling

All’s well that ends well

Dr. Shobha Diwakar

Retired Head of the Department of English at C P Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Jabalpur, Dr. Shobha Diwakar is a distinguished bilingual poet who writes in both English and Hindi.