Withering of hearts and ruined minds ,
moment's notice and a despondent life ,
future at stake unclear, unclean,
harsh is nature's fury scene.
emanating from unprecedented zones .
Incessant memories of how life is being unkind .
Am I paying a hefty price for my deeds ?
Fragile life compelled to choose a course,
hopelessly looked for rainbows between the blows,
Uncertain and unfair fate awaited .
playing a tug of war life game,
Compromise to get what neither wanted,
win or lose will mean the same.
Doomsday for certain arrived,
shattered the illusion of millions and forced them onto their feet.
shuddering and frightened they took the dreaded path ,
in hope of meeting their kith and kin,
making it look more like a sin.
with no penny , no food ,nothing looking any good,
the shrill ,the yell,
in deep pain every heart will swell.
Yet every obstacle they tried to pass, ferric trails leading them to their final destination,
this but a meagre solution .
Long hours,rough terrains, unmapped,zapped they simply marched.
Unseen powerful blows and many a lives rip apart,
tear wrapped as they parched .
Destiny choose to be aloof,
they scattered throughout for food and roof.
Alas ! Hunger turned the human a wayfarer and costed a soul.
Life turned upside down,
from laughter to distress ,
spreading havoc and creating mess.
future now bleek , steering into a deep sleep.
Speechless I am and will forever be,
Life's burden is taken away
but by death alone !
A journey into the unknown.
© M.D.Nimbalkar.
"Marching Millions" the tittle of the poem is sourced from the blog by eminent Indian writer Shobha de published in the Times of India newspaper recently..The content of the blog is the inspiration for the poetic version .
Feelings in these unique times are vulnerable to horrific events , one such of course is the case of Migrant workers all over India.
The Migrant workers crisis is definitely one of the worst sena
rios in the COVID 19 pandemic and underlines the poor state of affairs in managing the same .
Pray that their next life is blessed and cushioned away from life's harsh assaults.
This one goes as a tribute to many a migrant workers lives lost in their journeys back home .
28/05/2020
#Long verse #
#Symbolism#
#Lockdown poem#