Staying Alive(Rex Raman Rajkumar) Staying Alive

Far in the open fields
I heard the clangor of the bullets that fired,
Of hues and of cries and
Of the innocence that went unheard.

Far in the open fields
I heard the stream of bullets that pierced,
Of the human souls, helpless and unmoved
And of the silence that shadowed the white light.

Far in the open fields,
I now hear the euphony of the silence,
Of the weeping souls; and of the howls, of the dead;



Within the darkness of the caged hut
Shackled to the ironed cot,
Waiting for the desperate hope,
Waiting for the single grain of rice,
She carried an unborn child in her womb.

Within the darkness of the caged hut
Tortured to the undeterred soul,
Waiting for the long lost justice,
Waiting for the never coming rescue,
She was dragged and the unborn child in her womb.

And among the crowds that heckled;
Stripped naked in the middle of the field;
Buried under the detested shame;
She was coerced to give birth, as they jeered.




She didn’t moan nor did she weep.
It was done and she couldn’t undo it.
But in her heart she remains resolute;
She would strive till the justice is served.

It was years back, she narrated
Alarmed by her intuition,
Alarmed by the early fall of the dusk,
Alarmed by the restlessness,
She shunned and grew weak and
And it was then she heard the noise.

Alarmed by the unusual silence, she ran
No howls, no cries, no bawls.
Curtained within the fear of certainties
She stepped ahead, but her eyes closed.
And she stepped on it,
And Over the river of blood red;
Her son lied soulless, gnawing at the helplessness of innocence.




Within a decade of their authoritative reign
Many died, many encountered
Some went missing and some were never heard from
And proved to the impotence of the state
The neighboring state talked of unhealthy annexation

“Enough is enough”, they shouted in sync
“We dare you to shoot us right into the soul”
And clouded within the conflagration of inferno
It erupted as never before
It erupted and they backfired,
Shooting down 18 martyrs on 18th June




“Rape us, shoot us”
“Indian Army Rape us”
The slogans in rhythm,
The thrum and drum,
Of the women in flesh
Of the women in selfless tears
And for the woman they raped and shot dead
The mothers growled, with no garbs and with no fear.




It’s a decade old and she still fights with persistence
No coercion, no charges, no subjugation deterred her.
Trademarked my fair “Iron Lady of Manipur”
She wants no fame, no recognition, and no reward for her rectitude
But a justice that’s been long banished from the state
And the justice that may restore the faith in humanity
And the justice for alive to stay alive




By
Rex Raman Rajkumar





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Disclaimer: I present the poem in my way of imagination but inspired by the true life story. I do not say that the lines in the poems are exactly as it happened.

TO read more on the massacre, please read below.

The Stanzas in the poem are inspired by

1st-3rd Stanza: Heirangoithong Massacre in Manipur, March 14, 1984
Referred from:
https://twocircles.net/2010nov03/afspa_and_unsolved_massacres_manipur.html

4th-6th Stanza: Operation Blue Bird at Oinam, July 10, 1987 https://goo.gl/CuqpN1

7th-9th Stanza: Malom Massacre, Nov 2, 2000 https://goo.gl/retjh8

10th-11th Stanza: The Great June Uprising Day, June 18, 2001 https://goo.gl/aPcR8

12th Stanza: The protest on the killing of Th.Manorama Devi, July 15, 2004 https://goo.gl/JvvQ6B

Last Stanza: Irom Sharmila Chanu on Hunger strike since Nov 2, 2000 https://goo.gl/A60Hg

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