Never
do the waters toying with you and your boat
remind you of the whirlpools.
Never
do the sea waves playing at your feet
warn you of the impending upsurge.
Never
do those claiming to be friends, guarding you
whisper of your turn in the ensuing encounter.
Never
do the landlords professing to protect you
yet, with your blood, build palaces
let it slip that
you were born, grew and perished at the very foundation.
(Translation
of Pemmaraju Gopalakrishna's 'Rahasyam'
by M. Sridhar and Alladi Uma)
(Pemmaraju Gopalakrishna is a poet who writes with a clear social
consciousness.)
(Devipriya is a journalist and poet who has
published extensively. He writes with a left consciousness.)
