Black Money Poem by Kanishka SricharanPratap

White elephants
Black elephants
Their spies
Followers...
Otters, jackals and foxes...
All are busy.

Burning
Floating in rivers
Heaps in temple hundis,
Deposits in poor relatives
And Kinsmen's bank accounts,
Money
The Black money!

Long lines run of hirelings
In front of Banks.

In fifty and fifty share
Bank employees
Transferring the black money
Into white.

Crowds in jewellery shops,
Gold biscuits
Saved
In lockers.
Thrusting fingers in eyes
The drama of escaping
Everywhere!

Someone has broken the law,
The Black-law!

Parliament has got unrest...
T.V. and newspapers cry too much,
Against the demonetization of
1000 rupee notes
500 rupee notes.

How many days left
For election!

Slipping away the mines...
Vote banks from hands,
Seats under buttocks!

How it would continue
For all times to come!
All are busy and eager,
White elephants
Black elephants
Their spies
Followers...
Otters, jackals and foxes...!


Translated from Odia by
Subash Chandra Mohapatra