By Sibu Dhakal
You are above;
I am among
the laymen who once fed you
curtailing the grains of their kids
without whose chest
you would not have shielded
yourself from the burning spears
without whose voice you would not have chanted your slogans from lanes to the legislature
without whose shelter
you would not have saved yourself from the long deluge of
autocracy and despotism
without whose blood
you would not have bargained the power
without whose company
you would have been left alone in the long journey to liberation
BUT
you assassinated his sentiments
made him a living dead
trod on his head
sliced him into pieces
and made a ladder to authority
out of him;
and you tossed back the heads
to the know-little crowds
leaving the world on the surface
my friend, you rose
to the apex…
***
[Dhakal (b. 1976) is a poet and novelist from Nepal, presently working in the capacity of Academic Dean at Kaski Modernized Academy, Pokhara. His poems are an exploration of socio-political and cultural transformation while his concerns shift to the issues of Nepalese diaspora in his novels.]