CRIMSON RIVER
All day awake,
stretching into sunshine's perfect gaze—
yet in the eye's sharp corner,
the same sun scorches bare feet on cracked earth,
shadows of the forgotten.
Crimson rivers pulse through every soul,
binding humble hearts to mighty veins
in existence's relentless tide—
unseen rhythm whispering childhood streets.
Rape, pollution, anxiety, poverty,
discrimination, ragging, shaming—
what more must we forget
to hold onto being human?
Who sins in dreaming well?
Unseen battles rage through quiet nights:
hunger gnaws, loss strikes relentless;
no crowns for the weary, no victor's light.
Pain falls on many;
yet ease finds none.
Suffering runs circles,
returning, relentless,
to knock on your own door someday.
Homeless plight, self-respect trampled,
slurs echo in crowded lanes—
race, caste, faith, ego, jealousy:
what more to fight? Can none see
peace shimmering near?
Chasing freedom, wealth, beauty's lure,
we shed peace, forget our kin.
Cold to shivers, yet howl for fairness—
hallucinating harmony in the fray.
Why not run—
running toward peace,
not away, not shadowed by despair?
Stay peaceful: live, give, forgive.
Endure the blows—crimson rivers merge
in forgiveness' sea. Let peace endure;
life, reclaimed, dances wild and free.
( This poem is also posted on medium for wide range audience under the pen name Trishila, for more poem and stories you can follow me on medium website as well)
Copyright © Sandhya Ratheesh | Year Posted 2025
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