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Ashwin Kumar Apr 15
Thou art my chief source of motivation
Because, never do you show caution
Always, do you speak your mind
To your fire, is there no end
Seriously, are your poems so powerful
That they inspire us to fight
Against the Indian State's sheer might
Your personality is beautiful
Though your writing is fiery
I know you wouldn't hurt a fly
Because, all you want, is social justice
Even if it involves a huge sacrifice!

Thou art my chief source of motivation
And propel me towards action
Whenever I am feeling low
Never are your thoughts shallow
You are a raging feminist
And a compassionate socialist
As well as one of the leaders
In the fight against casteism
Not to mention, an extremely versatile writer
Who blends gender and caste
Romance and escapism
Peace and war
Religion and mass ******
Truly endless, is the list
But we get the gist!!

Thou art my chief source of motivation
Because, whenever you speak
My ears dance with anticipation
And the future suddenly seems less bleak
Always, do you make an impact
In fact, can you even act!!
Of course, suffered have you, a lot
However, you give up not
And most importantly, remind us
To keep doing the right thing always
Even if it ends up killing us!!

Thou art my chief source of motivation
Because you simply have not, any inhibition
You speak what we don't want to hear
And do what most of us fear
Sometimes, are you truly scary
But of course, in a good way!!
So much have you done, for your community
And that too, without any immunity
As can be seen by the sheer amount of hate you've often received
Simply for speaking the truth!!
I must say, hats off to your unwavering faith
You've made all of us proud
May the Lord bless you
With all the love, success, happiness, peace and prosperity in the world!!
Jai Bhim!! Vaazhga Periyar!!
Poem dedicated to one of my idols - author, poet, anti-caste activist and academic Meena Kandasamy.
Ashwin Kumar Apr 11
I look up to you greatly
Thou art an amazing lady
In you, do I see a fire
That refuses to die, no matter what
You lay your soul threadbare
Wit, is one of your greatest assets
Never do you back down from a fight
In a tunnel full of never-ending darkness
Are you the light
Which keeps emptiness and depression at bay
And puts us firmly on the path to happiness
Come what may!

I look up to you greatly
Your writing is so fiery
That it can spark a raging inferno
Full of righteous anger
Against all the injustice perpetrated by the Indian State
The lynchings that refuse to abate
Poor and underprivileged children dying of hunger
People being denied homes due to their caste
While the government has the sheer nerve to boast
About its so-called achievements
Your poems are a testament
To the famous saying "The pen is mightier than the sword"
Very hard-hitting indeed, are your words!!

I look up to you greatly
Never dost thou fail to amaze
Every story of yours is a maze
Full of character arcs and plot twists
Ensuring we get hooked very fast
And by the time we finally put the book down
Our minds would have been blown!!

I look up to you greatly
Never dost thou fail to raise your voice
When it cometh to social justice
Yet, somehow do you manage to maintain your poise
In the face of never-ending malice
Which is constantly thrown your way
The way you keep your detractors at bay
Is something we must all learn
Thanks to people like you, have I gradually started to unlearn
Certain things I once considered gospel truth
Excel do you, at transforming the narrative
When it cometh to our Hindu myths
For your community, do you live
Not yourself
Hopefully, more books of yours may soon adorn my shelf!!

I look up to you greatly
Thou art a wonderful role model
Bestsellers, are your novels
You love your profession
As much as Israel loves to lie
You yourself are an institution
And always do you aim for the sky
So much have you done for our society
With an absolutely brutal honesty
That beggars belief
Your writings provide some much-needed relief
In these dark and difficult times
Where even mere dissent is often treated as a crime!!

I look up to you greatly
For you, is impossible nothing
And social justice, everything!!
By the Grace of God
May all your dreams come true
And may you have nothing to rue
Finally, must I say
More power to you, Meena!!
Poem dedicated to Meena Kandasamy - award-winning author, poet, translator, anti-caste activist, intersectional feminist and academic; and one of my idols.
Ashwin Kumar Mar 26
You are an amazing writer
And one hell of a character
I love the way you think
In your armour, are there no chinks
Precisely do you know how to attract readers
In your world, there ain't no order!
Thou art the mistress of chaos
To your writings, if people are averse
Then it is their loss
Because you are an absolute diamond
And for you, never does learning end!!

You are an amazing writer
And a stellar storyteller
You always call a ***** a *****
By rules, you do not abide
When you are angry
We all are angry
Because we cannot stand injustice
And you yourself are Lady Justice!!

You are an amazing writer
Sure, you do have your share of haters
But that only serves to underscore the sheer impact you produce
Truly, art thou a natural force!!
Smashing the Brahminical patriarchy looks not impossible
Only because your spirit is unbreakable!!

You are an amazing writer
And an even better reciter
Your poetry is simply revolutionary
And though your critics are often reactionary
You simply let your keyboard do the talking
Thus reducing them to effectively nothing!!

You are an amazing writer
And we are your debtors
Because, you are one of those fearless critics
Whom the government always tries to silence
But you brave storm after storm
In order to try and ensure justice for the downtrodden
You are the oasis that represents hope
In a desert full of despair

You are an amazing writer
Who doesn't give two hoots about her detractors
You are the true face of intersectional feminism
In a land full of Savarna feminism
Which is as fake as Israeli democracy
Thanks to you, gender equality is not a mere fantasy!!
Most important of all, though
Is your anti-caste activism
In the never-ending battle against casteism
You are one of the fiercest warriors
May you eventually succeed in breaking all the barriers
Which stand between you and annihilation of caste!!
Jai Bhim!! Vaazhga Periyar!!
Poem dedicated to one of my idols - author, poet, intersectional feminist, anti-caste activist and academic Meena Kandasamy.
Creux Nov 2023
they see the facade, the academic veneer,
but the truth lies hidden, only i hold it dear

the world believes success is all i chase
but i question if i’m running in the right race
i question what truly this journey is worth
am i just building castles on this shifting earth?

amidst textbooks and deadlines, i quietly yearn
for answers not found in a grade i might earn
will this path i’ve chosen be my true fate?
or will i wake up one day, realizing it’s too late?

so when they call me hardworking and bright,
i smile on the surface, hide my inner fight
for behind the facade, the mask i wear,
lies a soul pleading,
“Lord, hear my prayer.”
Ayesha Sep 2022
Sleepless nights
Lost in a million thoughts
Everything is jumbled up
Eyebags always present
Pressure pulling me under

Not noticing the passing hours
Endless daydreams rewind
Even those lost in time
Dreading the morning to come
Escape to another land
Drifting off now...
Feels like I have acute insomnia even though the academic year has only just begin. :'(
Nathan MacKrith Mar 2020
I pray this pupil’s prayer,
penitent for desiring
an end to this madness
of clearing away snow,
only to find more, compact,
beneath the loose surface
      No two snowflakes alike
each snowflake falls with grace
absorbed by tuition fees,
books, books, books!
O the books pour down
clusters of refurbished
cognitive technicalities
      Each unique in its crystal formation
drench my shoes to full with repositories
of Professor gods’ wounded knees and sore egos
do I leggo my Eggo
to feast on academia’s wine
glut on the ambrosia of fine whine?
      What privilege to live in Snowflakia
the snowbanks are too high, Sir!
-still I climb, seeking purchase-
It takes too much time!
-yet I wade through the drifts-
of alabastards’ Judas kiss
       A Snowflake ingrate nation
in turn taken for madness
I cannot find a flick
to fling away wet sopping masses
of absence from classes
brain drain juices taste like molasses
I revile the texture of their pasty *****...
       You haven’t a chance in Hell-
-Ye Gods! Mea Culpa!
I am sorry, O Ponderous Purveyors,
for my blasphemous prayers
I will see the glass is
full of wine not molasses,
I will be a good snowflake and fall
into my pre-planned place
       Your liquid body will purify the well
I want to fall with grace
so I may rise without disgrace.
~
NM
02/04/19
A Flowered Tux Dec 2018
I am the best of the best,
and you can put it to the test
but you will find
that only I am sublime.

Yet, why do I feel this way,
angry and repressed
tired and distressed.
Irritation is my constant state.
and it is increasing at an alarming rate.

Maybe if I could just null the emotion,
To sink beneath the waves of ocean,
To get lost in all the commotion,
To fall in love with self-devotion,
but, no,
forget I even made the notion,
of doing something like letting go.

For it's too easy a way out,
and I will not leave a doubt
that I am here to stay,
much to my own dismay.

Why?
Because, I am the best of the best.
And I have put that to the test.
for better or worse,
my intelligence is a curse.
What it's like to be in the top 2% in high school class standing.
Bongiwe Nov 2017
Assignments, tests, exams,
I spent my days behind a desk.
White shirt, black skirt,
yes, all I do is type and page.
Oh, don't worry,
they're very fond of reminding me what a disappointment I am to humanity,
me who elects to be a well paid slave in someone else's company,
me with no good ideas.
Funny,
I've been down this road before, I've faced this criticism before,
but I was not deterred, not me,
I'll work hard and I'll be successful, that'll show them.
They told me I was destined for great things as they handed out trophies of merit on that stage,
I believed them,
they lied.
So I'm not a creative genius, I'm not an entrepreneur, not innovative , not a business mogul, I never wanted to be but according to society, I'm a failure for this.
Alexis K Sep 2017
What do you see when you look?
Do you base on race?

If you were white,
Would you be a *****?
If you were black,
Would you immediately be a criminal?
If you were asain,
Would you be a genius?
If you were Mexican,
Would your family be large?

Or do you see religion?

If you're muslim,
Are you a terrorist?
If you're Catholic,
Are you stuck up?
If you're Jewish,
Are you greedy?
If you're Baptist,
Are you a hypocrite?

Rather then that is the first thing you see gender or age?

Say you're a woman,
Would you be weak?
Say you're a man,
Would you be the boss?
Say you're young,
Would you be dumb?
Say you're old,
Would you be wise?

Or maybe academics are key?

If you wear glasses,
Does that make you nerdy?
If you are "preppy"
Does that make you mean?
If you play football,
Does that make you a leader?
If you're a cheerleader,
Does that make you a follower?

If you were smart,
Does that mean you are bullied?
If you are dumb,
Does that make you popular?
If you were always loud,
Does that make you ignorant?
If you're always quiet,
Does it make you emo?

So if you use a scholarship,
Does that make you poor?
So you don't use a scholarship,
Does that make you spoiled?
Maybe you go to a private school,
Then are you a snob?
Maybe you go to public school,
Then are you a hoodrat?

Maybe it's appearance first noticed but what does that say?

Cause if you arent a size 0,
Does that make you ugly?
If you aren't big enough,
Does that make you unhealthy??
If you weren't muscular,
Does that make you scrawny?
If you're muscular,
Does that mean you're trying too hard?

So you've got blond hair,
But does that mean you're stupid?
Or maybe red hair,
Does that mean youre quick to lose your temper?
If you wear makeup,
Does that mean you're hiding?
If you don't wear makeup,
Does that mean you're boring?
If you care what other think,
Are you self conscious?
If you don't care what others think,
Are you conceited?

What about....
What about if you were just you?
Would you be the same?
Would you be seen differently?
These things shouldn't matter.
But they do.
Oh so much
First impressions are most important
But oh so tough.

Why are you based on what you look like,
Or what you believe.
Why are you based on your gender,
Or how you do in school?

Judgements shouldn't be made,
But they are every single day.
In every single way.
But these things don't define you,
They don't explain you nor I.

We all bleed the same,
We see the same.
So why?

It doesn't matter if you're black or if your white.
It doesn't matter if you're Catholic or Muslim.
It doesn't matter if your skin is wrinkled or tight.
It doesn't matter if you're a woman or a man,
And it doesn't matter what size you wear.
Nobody should be judged and a lot of people are. It's inevitable but with a little Sparks of inspiration we can slowly change that, one person at a time we can rewrite our society.
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