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A lamentation carved in ancestral ash and silken wrath
I was born beneath a roof of borrowed stars, where silence was stitched into my cradlecloth, and every withheld scream became a psalm
for the Sentinel of Bloodline me.
They speak in tongues dipped in honeyed venom, those kin who wear concern like ceremonial garlands, but their rituals reek of rot their blessings, barbed.
The Bearer of Burdens my progenitor
spent his prime erecting altars for their comfort, his sweat sanctified their feasts, his spine bent into bridges they now demand
be paved with gold and guilt.
Two daughters, they hiss, as if our existence were a ledger of loss, as if his labor must be transmuted
into inheritance for those who never wept for him.
And the Matriarch of Grace my origin flame
they veil her with shame, commenting on her visage, demanding she drape herself in submission
as if dignity were theirs to dictate.
Yet she speaks to them still, with a grace that defies gravity, while I her blood’s echo
burn in silence, my fury folded into polite nods
and counterfeit smiles.
I want to unsheath my voice, etch boundaries into their bones, teach them the sacred geometry of respect.
How dare they trespass
into the sanctum of our suffering?
But I swallow my wrath for the Matriarch’s peace, for the Bearer’s dignity, for the society that weighs silence
as virtue.
Still, silence is a slow crucifixion.
So I write.
I ritualize my rage into verse, my grief into glyphs, my defiance into legacy.
Let this poem be a blade wrapped in velvet, a dirge for the betrayed, a sanctuary for Sentinels
who guard their lineage like sacred flame.
“This poem is a sanctuary for those who carry ancestral grief in silence. It speaks for the quiet rebels, the matriarchs veiled in shame, and the daughters who burn with unspoken fury. If your lineage has ever been dismissed, this verse is your velvet blade. Speak back.
Have you ever swallowed your voice for the sake of family peace? Which line felt like your own story?
They carved my name in silence, not gold,
In the ledger of “useless,” bitter and cold.  
One slip just one and the scroll rewrote,
Years of grace drowned in a single note.  

I bowed with reverence, not for their crown,
But for the myth that teachers don’t look down.  
Yet they measured worth by tuition paid,
Not by the soul or scars I’ve displayed.  

They smiled at rebels, gave them light,
While I, the quiet, was cloaked in night.  
No reward for being good, no balm,
Just the echo of blame, void of calm.  

So let me be bad, if good is unseen,
Let me wear thorns, not petals pristine.  
If virtue’s currency is never spent,
Then let me rise from their contempt.  

I am not their puppet, nor their pawn,
I am the storm that breaks their dawn.  
Time will etch me in truths they missed,
In the ink of fire, not a teacher’s list.  

Let them choke on the silence they gave,
While I build sanctuaries from every grave.  
I’ll prove my worth not for their gaze  
But for the stars that know my blaze.
This poem speaks for every quiet soul dismissed by systems that worship noise and money. It’s not just a protest—it’s a prophecy. If you’ve ever been unseen, unchosen, or unheard, this is your fire. Speak back.
Have you ever been punished for being quiet instead of loud?
• What does “goodness unseen” mean to you?
• Which line in this poem felt like your own story?
They chant in cloisters of comfort:
“Wealth is fleeting, power corrupts.”
But I have walked the corridors of consequence, Where silence bows to sovereigns of coin and command.
Let them sip serenity from porcelain platitudes I drink from chalices forged in fire:
Currency, the golden marrow of movement;
Power, the storm that parts the sea of no.
In this epoch of veiled verdicts, Respect is not earned it is engineered.
And privilege is not gifted it is gripped
By those who wield both purse and pulse.
Give me dominion, not to dominate, But to dismantle the architecture of injustice.
Let my voice be velvet and volcanic—
Unjudged, unshackled, unafraid.
Let my family dwell beneath citadels of certainty, Not beneath the brittle breath of borrowed hope.
Let my past be a phantom, For the present wears a crown.
One decree, and doors unfold.
One gesture, and gravity bends.
No garment mocked, no gaze policed, When power walks beside wealth, cloaked in reverence.
I do not seek applause I seek immunity.
Not from truth, but from tyranny.
For in this realm, freedom is not a birthright
It is a transaction, sealed in gold and grit.
So I rise, not as a monarch, But as a myth reborn.
To wear my privilege like prophecy, And my power like poetry.
This poem is not a plea—it’s a proclamation. A myth reborn in the language of fire and velvet. It speaks for those who walk corridors of consequence, who seek not applause but immunity from tyranny. If it stirs you, speak
back. Let your comment be part of the uprising.
What does “freedom as a transaction” mean to you?
• Have you ever felt power without applause?
• Which line in this poem felt like your own uprising?
Traveler Aug 9
100,000 children starved to death in two months. We need to intervene in all genocides. Sudan is the Gaza you haven’t heard about.
Traveler Tim
Ashwin Kumar May 31
You, I think about, every single day
Not only does it make me happy
It provides me hope
Whenever I mope
You are not simply an inspiration
In me, do you ensure perspiration
In order to reach my goals
If I achieve success
I will dedicate it to you, for your writing
Because, you keep me believing
Hence, never do I give up
In fact, the only way for me is up
Drives me, does your radical thought
Which is straight from the heart
About society, you give not a ****
Something that manages to make me beam
Even when I am drowning in a pool of insecurities
You pull me, bit by bit
Towards achieving inner peace
One does not have to be perfect
Thanks chiefly to you, did I realise that
Your fiery passion helps me stay afloat
Even when the ship of my mind is sinking
Due to too much overthinking
You enable me to get rid of the clutter
Thus, does my focus keep getting better and better
A true braveheart, you are
In spite of being a mother
Amongst the loudest, is your voice
Against all sorts of injustice
What better motivation, do I need?
Thank you, Dear Comrade
Jai Bhim! Vaazhga Periyar!!
Dedicated to the vivacious and tiger-spirited author, poet, translator of the "Thirukkural", academic and anti-caste activist Dr. Meena Kandasamy.
Ashwin Kumar Oct 2024
I stand with you, Dear Comrade
Because, always do you stand
With the oppressed
With the marginalised
With the hated
With the silenced
And finally
With the ignored!

I stand with you, Dear Comrade
Because, every time do you take the lead
When it comes to fighting against injustice
Calling out media bias
Exposing the hypocrisy of the liberals
Highlighting gender and caste issues
Blasting the central government left, right and centre
And last but not the least
Making us all feel your righteous anger!!

I stand with you, Dear Comrade
For you, does my heart bleed
Because, are you an extremely kind soul
Who cares for humanity above all
Beneath your raging passion
I can feel your sheer compassion
You've been through hell
And yet, do you stand tall
Fighting endlessly and fearlessly for social justice
And striving your hardest for peace
Without even thinking of giving up
To you, greatly do I look up!!

I stand with you, Dear Comrade
Of you, forever will I remain proud
Whenever I have a bad day
It is you, who shows me the way
During my darkest phases
It is you, in whom I find solace
Even when I am extremely negative
You provide me the motivation to be positive
May Jesus bless your beautiful soul
And may you find your inner peace, above all!!
Poem on why I will always support Dr. Meena Kandasamy - famous novelist, poetess, translator, academic, raging intersectional feminist and passionate anti-caste activist!!!
Ashwin Kumar Sep 2024
Whenever I experience pain
Whether it be physical or mental
I don't feel I am alone
Because your words are so powerful
That they transport me into another realm
Where I begin to feel a sense of calm
And a voice speaks
"Everything is going to be alright soon"
Slowly and steadily, the pain fades
And I begin to feel at ease again
You may not be a witch
But your poetry is so rich
And so full of passion
That it gives me motivation
To do whatever I earlier thought was impossible
Your attitude makes EVERYTHING seem possible
The way you write a novel
Sets an example for us all
Full of dry and witty humour
Not to mention, extreme candour
And at the same time, you keep the readers guessing
Hence, no book of yours can ever be called "boring"
And your activism lights a flame in us
Which is extremely difficult to extinguish
Thanks to you, am I starting to find the courage and strength
To fight my battles with mental health
And hoping to emerge stronger than ever
Dear Comrade, I will forget you never
Jai Bhim! Vaazhga Periyar!!
This is about how I draw inspiration from Dr. Meena Kandasamy - much celebrated novelist, poet, translator, academic, intersectional feminist and anti-caste activist.
Traveler Sep 2024
These protagonists words describe
a worldview most people may not know. I do admit
I have a tendency of presenting new facts and serving them somewhat cold..
So even if for now you don’t believe, put it in the back of your mind and set it free..
Deep passion is quite luring
it gets the creative blood stirring.
Traveler 🧳 Tim
Traveler Aug 2024
Military wise
We have the same capabilities
as we had in the 90’s..
But now it’s 2024
We cannot contend with BRIC’s  economically nor defend against their weapons.
Many of our senators want war anyways
It’s time to change our policy.
TT
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