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in Features, Free Verse

You Will Not Speak

byParul KhakharandSalil Tripathi
June 21, 2021
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The pain will get unbearable, but you will not speak;
Even if your heart will scream, you will not speak

They’ll force you to slash your tongue and keep it out of sight
Many more will cheer you, but you will not speak

Open those thick volumes of history and do reflect:
Those who speak out have been shot, so you will not speak

Maybe you will sell cherries by speaking out more often
But it is wiser not to talk, so you will not speak

The old rules of your lineage say: silence is so golden
Torch-bearers have made that call, and you will not speak

Not one, nor few, but millions more will stand along your side
Remember their condition, though; that you will not speak

If citizens who can’t listen host a feast for the truth
And implore you to repeat; still you will not speak

This poem first appeared in Nireekshak (The Observer) and has been translated into English by Salil Tripathi. Shared here with permission from both the poet and translator.

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© 2022 Indian Cultural Forum | Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

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