PRAYER OF A PETITION TO MAA DURGA, by Suresh Mahapatra

PRAYER OF A PETITION TO MAA DURGA

I’m no trash, no useless piece of paper;

please don’t tear me into pieces, and

throw them into trash bin.

I’m nobody’s enemy, have committed no crime;

please don’t arrest me in a dingy red-taped file.

I’m no virus, no germ, and no toxin;

please don’t burn me down to ashes.

I’m as innocent as a lamb,

my heart aches for truth and justice,

I bleat piteously for true democracy, and

all that goes with true democracy.

Please forget me not.

Please spurn me not.

Please misunderstand me not, and

fulfill my wishes, showering blessings on me.

Amid a lot of tension, I saw you in a dream before you were born; torso draped in a white towel, head popping out-a big one,

Amid a lot of tension, I saw you before you were born in a dream;torso draped in a white towel, head popping out-a big one;