God's Choice Poem by Gautam Sen

Temples in ample
seem to amplify
religious reckoning of the people
where 'God' is placed inside,
in front of its caretakers busy in
taking care.

Care of what?
A huge monetary turnover?

A long beggars-lain thoroughfare
inundated by the flood
of virtue-thirsty pilgrims
with eyes aimed at
the long awaited doors
miles afar,

these fleeting forces
in their pilgrimage
often become blind
with a faith of false
knowledge of visiting
our Lord so closely,
talking to God so near.

But who bothers to know
Where Is He?

Their labor ends
and destiny's reached
by following every ritual
that 'God in stone' even pleased.
Virtues earned as conviction.

We really are blind
not finding our missions
prior to the visions of
high raised temple gates,
before reaching that
stone styled God raised
on altars with flowers
and dampened sogginess.


God, real God
just remains outside
where distress leaves its traces
on the busy lanes
driving the religion-crazes
towards those well maintained idols.

The poor sitting on the way
offered alms when visited,
who cares who are they?

Remember!
Our kindness as protocol
shown to vagrants
is going vain.
God gets nothing
but negligence
in the form of ignorance.

God only smiles
at impudence shown,
false pious feelings
gathered through religious rituals.
He doesn't need any bribery.
Service to the mankind
is his better choice
than the sycophancy.