religion – Fleeting Muse

For a God unseen
We sacrifice
Those who need ours
We leave them
To mercy of God
Indoctrained from childhood
We offer prayers
And fill the coffers
Of those
Whose business is
The soul of mortals
Who amongst us
Has seen afterlife
For a heaven peddled
We mortgage our present
And create hell
On earth
While the custodians
Of morality
Turn a blind eye
As the powerfuls
Bend the rules
They have sold
Their souls
And tangoed with
The devil
Offering balms
To our tortured souls
If politics makes
Strange bedfellows
Religion is not
Far behind

Divergent Thoughts: Set of Haikus

In the name of God
Millions tortured, maimed and killed
Still preach the gospel

The prophet of peace
Followers kill in his name
Mute spectators all

Tower of Babel
Merciful God’s punishment
Cursed diversity

Children of the book
Monotheistic all but
Which one is greatest

We want lasting peace
But peace on our own terms though
While the world suffers

Lie, cheat, commit sin
As long you serve our purpose
Get a mulligan

We worship same god
Speak different languages
Different, we fight

We speak same language
But worship different god
Different, we fight

Worship same, speak same
Different color of skin
Different, we fight

What is different
Language, color, religion
Same blood flows in vein

Peace Has Vanished ( a Ghazal)

I had written this poem ( Ghazal ) a few weeks back in my mother tongue, Assamese, regarding the unrest going on in many parts of the world. I gave a finishing touch today and translated it to English. This is not a literal translation. It is difficult to do a word by word translation and retain the ghazal format. I am including both Assamese ( first) and the English version here.

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অশান্তি কিয়

সকলোতে আজি শুনো হাঁহাকাৰ, পৃথিৱীত ইমান অশান্তি কিয়
প্ৰাচুৰ্য্যৰ মাজত শুনো আৰ্তনাদ, ৰাইজৰ মনত অশান্তি কিয়

বিজ্ঞানৰ আজি জয় জয়াকাৰ, পৰাক্ৰমীৰ শুনো উন্মাদ হুঙ্কাৰ
নৈতিকতাৰ পতন দেখি নিতেনিত, ৰাইজৰ নহব অশান্তি কিয়

চাৰিওদিশে দেখোঁ বাজে ৰণডংকা, জনতাৰ মনত কিহৰ আশঙ্কা
অজান আতংকবাদীৰ মোক্ষম আঘাট, বুজিছানে আজি অশান্তি কিয়

অন্তৰত জ্বলে দুঃখৰ অনল, চৌদিশে দেখোঁ জ্বলে দাবানল
সৰ্বহাৰাৰ বিচাৰ নহল উচিত, নহলেনো আজি অশান্তি কিয়

বৃথা প্ৰলোভনত মতলীয়া ৰাইজ, বৈষম্যৰ জয়ধ্বনিত সদা ব্যস্ত
ধৰ্মান্ধতাৰ উন্মাদনাত বিবেক নষ্ট, পৃথিৱীত নহব অশান্তি কিয়

Peace Has Vanished

Lament everywhere ring out loud and clear, where peace has vanished
Amidst all the unfathomable wealth, people query why peace has vanished

Scientific truth questioned and throttled by maniac utterances of the powerful
Values challenged, morality in perpetual comma, people’s peace has vanished

Constant cacophony of drums of war, scared dejected populace milling around
Unknown terrorists’ deadly strikes, death and mutilation, our peace has vanished

Aching hearts, smoldering pain, world engulfed by raging fires of destruction
Blind justice disenfranchises destitute, division rules, why question peace has vanished

False prophets of power, deluded blind followers, fomenting and heralding division
Fanatics, corrupted and hijacked by religion, search where peace has vanished

Crutch

Needed someone to blame

For all our faults

So we created god

To hide our weaknesses

Needed a crutch

We discovered religion

Folks needed to be kept in line

For elites to enjoy privileges

So propagated faith

We needed to spread our powers

We seeded division

Nationality, race, gender and color

We love the rainbow after the rain

But abhor diversity

We want our own

Needed people to believe in rewards

Created illusion called heaven

And destroyed our only home

Hobbled, disabled and crippled

We march along

Applying fictitious balms

To soothe our aching hearts

We destroy our today

For a mirage of heavenly adobe

In our afterlife

That is completely unknown

Tower of Babel lives on

But language of love still the same

Color of skin may be different

Same red color blood flows in our veins

Earth did not create any boundaries

Though we try to wall ourselves in

We do not need any crutches

To prop ourselves up

All we need is love and compassion

For our fellow human beings

Weapons:Week Forty Six of My Fifty Two Weeks Journey with the Letter ” W”

Those who defends the freedom of possessing guns are fond of reminding people that guns don’t kill people, people do. Really? From mythological time to present, it is weapons that has been killing people. In modern times, weapons are big business. States are major players in selling arms and weapons. Everywhere around the globe we can see the devastation and mayhems that’s been created by weapons. Stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction can wipe civilization as we know of few times over. Just imagine if all the resources that are being spent on weapons would have been utilized on development programs, this world of ours would have been a paradise. But because of proliferation of weapons, all around the globe we have warlike situations prevailing.

All throughout recorded history, wars fought in the name of religion resulted in deaths to millions. Followers of religions that preach peace and love did not and do not hesitate to kill non believers in the name of religion. If there would have been no weapons, we would not have seen such devastation. All God’s creation have been given inherent weapons to defend and feed themselves but no weapons to kill unnecessarily. We humans call ourselves to be God’s best creation. God has not given us weapons to kill others. Alas, we are given a brain that we misused to invent weapons to kill and dominate others. If we really would have utilized our brains properly, we would have invented weapons to spread love and peace, not death and destruction.

It may be a wishful thinking, but we can always hope. Maybe one day we will see the light and will find mythological arrows of Cupid to spread universal love. With that hope in mind, on week forty six of my fifty two weeks journey with the letter “W”, I start my poem with the word “Weapons”.

Peace and love to all my dear readers in this season of joy.

This post is in response to Write Anything Wednesday-Dec-14-2016 sponsored by Writerish Ramblings

Tag: religion

Education

Education

For a Heaven Peddled

Divergent Thoughts: Set of Haikus

Peace Has Vanished ( a Ghazal)

Crutch

Weapons:Week Forty Six of My Fifty Two Weeks Journey with the Letter ” W”