An evocative protest poem, by Rajashree, in conversation with Lord Ram, exclusively for Different Truths.

Hey Ram!
My dear ever revered Lord!
Now that the palace at Purushottam
Is blemished and in its ruins,
Right to death obviously is conferred on you,

As the stream of repentances
Warrants critical appreciation and regulations as well
Over self own cloudy deeds.

Oh, my Lord!
Please allow me
To wipe out and expunge
the black spots rendered by the radiance flux of moonlight
From and out of your dark-skinned body,
To abrade your feet and remove the muds of dusky dusts
Just as illuminated light of Ayodhya wilts at dawn
And to rid of your memory
associated there to.

Oh, the Lord!
Evidently known
That you are the only aggrieved human of the so-called Rama-Rajya 
The holy waters of the river Sarayu thus wait for your sacred immersion
Just come and make a secret jump into it
No one will ever guess
Who jumped into the waters?
Whether a man or a God?

Oh Sarayu!
What the hell, your waters
are too icy to jump into!

Picture design by Anumita Roy, Different Truths

Rajashree Mohapatra

Rajashree Mohapatra, born in Odisha, has received her master’s degree in ‘History’, and ‘Journalism and Mass Communications’ from Utkal University. She is a teacher by profession. Being a postgraduate in ‘Environmental Education and Industrial Waste Management’ from Sambalpur University, she has devoted herself as a social activist to the cause of social justice, environmental issues, and human rights in remote areas through non-governmental organisations. Poetry, painting, and journalism are her passions.