Gandhi And I (His Lathi) Poem by Bhanumati Mishra

I trod before you,
You followed me,
I lent support,
You gripped me firm.

You chased a dream,
I quickened your strides.
You leaned on me;
I, ever by your side

Suffered the pits
And faced the falls
Helped you walk
Dauntless and tall.

Men lifted you,
I waited in some corner,
They let you down;
You searched for me again.

I became a symbol - your Conscience.
But, pray why your countrymen
Did burn me on your pyre?
Did I belong to you alone?

Accustomed have I grown
Of those who have not known
In countless forms I am born
Through ages come and gone

From Krishna's lips in births before,
And Shravan's shoulders as per lore;
When did I turn into a cop's baton
Or a barricade I hardly know.

If ever He asks me, I'd plead,
Turn me into a mat of reed
In that hut where Bapu's poor sleeps
Alone, forgotten and silently weeps.