To Irom Shormila Poem by Latha Prem Sakhya

Your sacrifice to redeem a people
Surviving persecution fills me with pride
To be part of the same humanity.

Yet it shames me – a passive witness
To your torture of body and soul
For a cause so noble.

Separated by geographical distance
I cling on to your invisible hand
Empathizing with your struggle.

A smouldering volcano,
Strengthening you,
Expressing my solidarity -

So that our sisters and brothers
Soon taste the air of freedom
And live without fear.