Prabhakar Subramaniam

What is seen

Is not scene by scene

The defender

Looks like the aggressor

The first blow

Is off-screen

What is spoken

Is not heard

What is heard

Is not understood

It is not my own

Who are dying

It is someone else's houses

That are being flattened

It is not my sea

That is being poisoned

Not my livelihood being stolen

I nod my approval

When my leader

Stresses the need

For people to sacrifice

For the nation to progress.