Ban Ban Poem by Kumaara Sukeja

BAN BAN

'It's fun, a past time for the public - to hear the refrain BAN-BAN!
It all began with your policy to banish our- the Opposition's- man!
Tit for tat, because in your regime, you had tied us up- -
So, now, we will watch you drink from the same cup'.

'You steal the honor by putting ASHOKA on a stamp-
We'll do better by having a 'live' one on the ramp!
You corner the savant's space under the hoary tree
we will grow cloned 'Ashoka' climbers on it soon, for free..'

One wistfully recalls how Ashoka was a favorite Supari:
And, liking it didn't risk being banished to a far off Sharry!
So, in frolic, you could gorge on it without raising a sweat
And, for all that, a sermon utmost was what one would get...

Today, as a tourist, if you are stepping on the Ashoka Road,
You are on your toes unsure you aren't carrying a moral load-
For starters, not walking bare foot could be a culpable crime
And, entail you to pay the fixed fine or serve- in the can- time?

Political parties spar on the issue of the public ban,
Cleverly scoring brownie points as many as they can- -
Between the Devil and the Deep Sea, it's futile to negotiate-
The flocks reconcile to sloganeering as their new opiate...