Wednesday, June 01, 2005

The Divide

Beyond the border
We cannot see into the lives of men,
Lay down your armour,
The world bleeds.
The sword, it steals
The whisper of a heartbeat;
Shield not yourself, but the children,
They fight the inner battle.
In the cold wintry bed of dreams,
The boom of cannons roar,
The air is rife with fear,
Voices prophesying war.
Chained to the idealism of democracy,
It cannot work, it will not work,
If I sit high up on the shelf,
A spectator to savage brutality.
Miles upon miles of land separate us,
Yet beyond this physical divide,
My soul knows of an inner stirring;
We are a greater Indian,
We are humanity,
Your brother
Is only a heartbeat away.

15 comments:

gulnaz said...

Your brother
Is only a heartbeat away.
WOW love that line!
this poem deserves to be made into a short video to inspire us indians.

maybe you want to check your internet settings on the computer if u cant see the pix

Russell CJ Duffy said...

nicole that is really an excellent poem. you should be very proud of it. beautiful words and some memorable lines.

Sameer said...

I aggree with Gulnaz 100%. The last line is really the crowning glory of the piece. Nicole, count yourself as gifted, for few can display such felicity with words as a medium of expresion, especially with such fickle and demanding form as poetry. After endless attempts to flirt with poetry, I should know better than anyone else. I have also provided a link to your blog on mine. You can check out my ramblings at http://chalteychaltey.blogspot.com

Russell CJ Duffy said...

keep coming back to this poem and still loving it!

Nicole Braganza said...

Gulnaz - The biggest hurdle is the prejudices that plague Indian society - the hatred towards specific communities and religious groups and it really angers me when parents force their biased opinions on to their kids like they have no mind of their own.


CJ-> You've put me on top of the world with your comment!!!!!


Sameer-> I did visit your blog...and I find a face up there very familiar. The topper guy - Is he from Rai University? Or did he participate at the Sophia College festival, Kaleidoscope? Definitely seen that guy somewhere.

Adrian Neibauer said...

Passion is very persuasive. It is interesting reading this while living in the US--where democracy flourishes (possible to our detriment). Nevertheless, I agree with all you have said.

Nicole Braganza said...

Stan -> I completely support democracy as the best form of governance. And thank god for free press and all that in India. But the thing is, there is still so much violence, so much corruption which only leaves one thinking... What are we doing about it??

Skrambled Egghead Reborn said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Skrambled Egghead Reborn said...

This poem is powerful, beautiful, and wonderfully written. And this isn't the first time I've gotten chills (in a good way) from one of your poems. I am in awe.

By the way, I've added you to my favorites. Hope you don't mind.

bablu said...

"the hatred towards specific communities and religious groups and it really angers me when parents force their biased opinions on to their kids like they have no mind of their own." Well said Nicole. Its a real sad situation. But things go on ... Whatsay ???

Pincushion said...

What a thought provoking poem! It makes me want to read it over and over and over again..
What I like best is you've gone beyond the mere 'He and I' theme to social consciousness! Bravo grrrl..! We need more of you around :)
Cheers n have a great weekend!..btw..am linking to you.thank you.

Nicole Braganza said...

Skrambled-> Yay! You visited again! And a link too!! YIPPEE!!!!

Bablu -> Yeah, you're right. There has been little change in mindsets. Things go on..

Pins-> Thank you for your generous compliment and for linking up to me. You have a great weekend too!!

Sue hardy-Dawson said...

Hi, a beautiful poem I'm glad you found my blog too

Misreflection said...

Amazing poem , anazing sentiments esp from one of your age, there's hope, I know little apart from what I read of the bitterness, and hatred that still reamins but it really is wonderful to see that there are indeed ones like yourself who see the futility of it all.

Nicole Braganza said...

Sue-> Thanks. Hope to see you around...

Missy-> You are so encouraging. Thank you very much.