Demons Poem by Anshul Srivastava

“It has big hairs and big teeth’s,
It is taller then the trees in courtyard”,
My grandmother used to tell,
And I used to wonder where,
She would have seen them so clear.
For me they were only in stories,
Or the tales which she told me.
And I had a hero to take care of them,
And finish them then and there.
'But Nani, they are only in stories na',
I used to comment at end of every of her tales.
She used to smile and then pat my head,
'You will understand when you will feel them',
Used to be her standard reply, no explanation offered.

Today I see them all around me,
Long hairs and big teeths, looking for me,
And I trying to hide from them in vain,
Some taller then me, other’s growing day by day,
No light, no air; I can see beyond them,
Only their bloody teeth’s and smell of flesh,
Demanding my flesh, blood and soul.
I look for heroes around me,
No Ram no Krishna, even no Shankar or Brahma,
Not even Vishnu in his many avatars’ come’s.
I pray in vain to hanuman, but in vain.
No sound goes beyond them.
For all of them grown from inside of me,
Feeding on my deeds and my soul,
Desires of human body to nourish them,
Every new desire in me giving birth to one.

'Nani', I whisper understood what you meant,
For the demons are not outside, they are inside me,
No hero would come saving me,
For it's me who has to be saved from them,
And it is me who has to save from them.
Maybe if I survive them, and not fall victim,
I would to tell my grandchildren’s,
Of the demons, jungle, fears and the heroes,
And would smile like you, remembering the demons,
Those were mine….......

(Nani=Grandmother in Hindi)