Seeking Change

The voice entraps in its own words
losing grip over the long argument,
pain that lies inside flickers through
the bruised lip, smiles in the light of truth,
to peneplane the uneven surfaces,
to die for freedom and justice

Are the oppressors really aware of the power
and strength of the youth, the commoners?
Fighting for what they dream and love,
The voice of the youth that is raising against
the atrocities can’t be suppressed,
Can never be crushed,

The young minds know that
there are many ways to do that,
to sail through the crooked corners
the mess up and the punitive actions,
waves of protest and never give up,
They can overthrow the tyrants.

History will lend a helping hand
the soul torn with abuse, torture
and insult will fight back,
harassed and detained yet seeking change
The darkness will go off in the long run
Wounds then can only be healed!

Gopal Lahiri is a bilingual poet, critic, editor, writer and translator with 29 books published, including eight solo/jointly edited books. His poetry and prose are published across more than seventy journals and anthologies globally. His poems are translated in 16 languages. He has been nominated for Pushcart Prize for poetry in 2021. He has received Setu Excellence Award, Pittsburgh, US, in poetry. He is the first recipient of. Jayanta Mahapatra National Award for Literature, 2024. Read other articles by Gopal.