Author: Reena Saxena

Bartering with time

belongings for longings

my unabashed soul

Foolishly clutching

its crepuscular cravings

in last bag of hope

Give it up soul, don’t you know

sadness is just homeless love

*

Mindfills for MindLoveMisery’s – Dark night of the soul  & imagism – Frank Tassone d’Verse

a celebration to end slavery
and yet
the shackles remained
white hearts in fear
with attitudes of evil

jim crow laws
lynchings
no coloreds allowed, whites only
separate but equal
mass incarceration
systemic racism
police brutality

four hundred years as kept
one hundred fifty years lied to
is 2020 the year a promise realized
freedom a reality for the minority
so cruelly enslaved in various ways
will prejudices finally be put aside

will we finally be humane?

भाने लगे हैं ये बंधन मुझे
अपनी ज़ुल्फ़ों से रिहाई न दो

प्यास ही देती है तृप्ति मुझे
छीन लो प्याला, सुराही न दो

सच मान चुका हूँ बहाने तेरे
छोड़ दो अब कोई सफ़ाई न दो

ठुकरा चुकी हो खुद जिसे तुम
अब उस रिश्ते की दुहाई न दो

न आगे बढ़ा यह फ़साना अमित
कलम तोड़ दो, रोशनाई न दो

In response to: Reena’s Exploration Challenge # 140

Incensed at incest
from 5 to 10

Perturbed by a pounding
at nine for refusing a kiss

Ballastic over being “bitch!’ed”
at random rambunctiousness
to shut up and shut down

Pissed off at being punched
for disagreeing — the night before
his mother came to visit

Displeased at being drenched
with water for trying to leave
with my infant son

Testy at being threatened to
have my children abducted
and never seen again

:::Expletive::: at being exploited

Stinging over being stalked

Cranky over being kicked

Galled over being gaslit

Livid over being lied to

Bemused at being blamed
for not leaving
for not being smarter
for being gullible
for being sensitive
for being tolerant
for not knowing better
for being a victim

Independent individuals
Violating of their own volition –

But packed under paternalism’s
protective umbrella

Teach your children

Stop the madness
of the campaign
of gender violence.

Learn to…

silhouettes of truth

accruing value with voices

kindling freedoms

blood soars, sears the same red

for every human’s rights

*Mindfills for

Sue Vincent’s #writephoto – soar

Reena’s exploration challenge – juneteenth .. emancipation