Surviving

Dr Ranbir Laishram

Amidst the pandemic lockdown,
The cry and lament of the weary souls ,
Dishonour of the dead,
Denied of religious customs and rituals,
The corpse - the untouchable,
Thrown in barren places, drains and rivers.

Amidst the eerie silence,
Empty street of the concrete world,
The clear blue sky,
The birds singing melodies,
Mother nature enjoying the serenity,
Taking rest and recuperating,
Untouched by the Contagion.

Amidst the cries of the loved ones,
Whose own has been a victim of -
The unbearable health care cost,
Political opportunism and rivalry,
Cry of the health workers,
Lack of infrastructure, manpower, drugs and vaccines,
Despair, agony, expectations and desperation of the patients,
Loss of unfortunate souls unattended and by self medication.

Amidst the scarcity, hunger and grievances,
The greed of some can never be tamed,
As if they are immortal.
The weary starving souls come out,
Desperate to earn one square meal,
Only to be caught by the dreaded Contagion.
Surviving, a priority now,
Dwelling in a cage suffocated,
A new way of life,
Unwillingly accepted,
Just to see another sunrise.
Though very hard to just survive,
One must be resilient to the storm,
And be grateful for being still alive.