Dilemma Poem by Hans Raj Sharma

The force of nature
Becoming
The force of public
Sounding
Horns of silence
I'm recounting-
The history- a story
Of common man
Telling-
Several stories at once:
The plight of villagers
Rushing for employment
Homeless migrant labour
Today live, I see-
Countless number sleeping
By the side of foot-paths
Or rail-tracks
And the destitution
Of the urban poor
After seventy years
Of freedom
No meaning is left.

The beauties
Of yester century
Becoming
Their world, your hell
Your world, their hell.
A tumble-
On the slippery ground
Stumbling down the hill.
Those who disagree
Also agree with me.

Beauty is dying
In its custodial death
Unknown
Unseen and unsung
What to talk of-
Those ancient days
Of narrowness
Or hardheartedness.

-Copyright © hrsharma ®2017
Ludhiana, Punjab, India.