'Maximo Lider' Poem by Ajit Das

A towering personality sporting a straggly beard,
extending his wide embrace to a steely woman
hesitatingly responding with girlish sisterly smile -
Fidel Castro and Indira Gandhi stood frozen in history!

Castro is no more, leaving behind a mixed legacy.
Was he an apostle of revolution or a ruthless despot,
a defender of the poor, champion of socialism
or a tyrant locking his people in the socialist prison?

Risking a perilous journey on a decrepit yatch Granma,
waging quixotic war from the mountains Sierra Masstra,
he liberated Cubans, giving Cuba an identity independent
of mighty America, yet crushing his opponents brutally.

While Havana is shedding tears, euphoric crowds
are waving flags, dancing on the streets of Miami -
a contrasting picture of Castro who could stand up
as a David against the Goliath of engulfing imperialism.

World is divided over Fidel: a self-possessed dictator
or a romantic idealist with streak of pragmatism.
Yet undoubtedly he was an iconic symbol of the modern era.
His chest beat the heart of a true, mesmerizing rebel.