The Poet Is A Waterfall Poem by Rati Saxena

The poet is a waterfall
Didn't I tell you so?
a poet is a waterfall
not a lion

then why are you afraid of me?
the waterfall doesn't destroy dams
the waterfall doesn't drown the cities
the waterfall brings to the cities
the saga of the forests
it reminds the cities of those sounds
which the ears have long forgotten to tune in to
those melodies which were once onerous to listen

the dark shadows that spun in the light
the stories of beings entitled to the earth
I had indeed told you
a poet is not a lion
that would drink from the forest dwellers'
share of water, and become a possessor
of its own people
the poet is just a waterfall

didn't I tell you so?
the waterfall just gives one shout
and the jungle gets together
even the city comes running

the waterfall gives up its life
by merging into the river
in which you throw your dirt
the poet is a mere waterfall
why is the establishment so terrified!

why does it silence the river!
the bars of the prison
can't keep the waterfall
the cold wet floor of the prison
frees not the body
but the voice of the poet
the poet is just a waterfall

my voice will reach
the womb of the earth
then it will sprout like a plant
no matter how long you keep me behind bars
my voice will spread
far and wide