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A School of Thought
A bright morning in school
shouts of ‘Hey, video show
on the Black Hole! Assemble
in the auditorium’ greet
the air!
Wow! No boring lectures today!
another video; another learning
doors close, blinds slide
the show begins- the black hole
dark energy
dark matter
dark speed
fascinating!
Sudden shouts, the teacher
‘quickly all of you
under the tables
lie still, don’t move
don’t breathe!
a shocked soul
stuffing a tie into his mouth
to stop that fearful scream
the black boots of death
approaching, ever nearing
the mindless staccato of deadly shots
piercing screams, then
unnatural silence
the boy lying ‘like dead’
the black boots pumping lead.
every nerve screaming
silently in intense agony
Whirling thoughts-
is the black hole up there
or down here!
who is the thinker
who is the doer
in this swirling vortex of hate!
dark energy
dark thoughts
dark actions!
Returning to school after
an extended winter break
completely renovated buildings
all traces of the gruesome attack
seemingly wiped out
greetings of ‘hey, you are alive’
fill the air!
A lonesome soul
sitting forlorn in an empty class
head on the desk, eyes
tightly shut, fists clenched
uncontrolled tears
thirty winsome faces
refusing to go away
the silent scream
always returning
Can the ‘new look’
ever erase images
in the mind’s eye?
what is the solace?
this heart will seek?
will this tender bud
ever understand the
terrible fragility of
this thing called life?
that every action has a reaction
of value in hindsight!
The CCTVs, the whirring cameras
capturing moments
for another video
for another learning
for whom?
for what?
From the annals of a school anywhere in the world!
Copyright ©
Sita Bala
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