She carved herself through the equator Cried tears of magma Hoisted herself from the crater Just to make urvarā She did it for us Divine Mother, Bhoomi Devi Without a sound, without a fuss Carried the burden, ever heavy She moved through the world Through us now too Teeth bared, fists curled Never once withdrew Gave birth to the man And his strength too She never claimed more than Just equal to Honor the suffrage Herstory never lost Make room for her rage Now we bear the cost In rockets adorned with silica We abandon her for the sky Gearing up to destroy ākāsā We’ve made our mother cry Patient yet, She pleads that we stay All can be forgiven, If we correct the wrongs of our ways She loves us still -- God’s golden children But can’t excuse the evil Done by our billions Beheading her forests Drilling through her core Plastic invasions by tourists She can’t take any more What’s left to do? When we’ve ravaged her so How do we start anew? Where’s left to go? Original Poem by Divya Balakrishnan All rights reserved.
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I am Dravidian, Tamil, American
Born between two lands And of many minds Claimed my lineage always Roots brandished with pride Vedas in my veins Manjal to make me fair (& lovely) Carnatic melody reigns Since birth, coconut oil in my hair ‘What’s that you’re eating?’ They’d sneer Oh, that’s just rice and kootu. Childhood spent seeking acceptance Still proudly wore the pottu They said be Bollywood or be gone I said no thank you I’d rather go at it alone It took years, But my people came around Sifting through crocodile tears There is kinship to be found I learned: Dark is beauty Tamizh is grace My ancestral wisdom Forever etched in my face We’re all home now Let’s do more than bask Don’t tell me how-- I’d rather you ask. Original poem by Divya Balakrishnan All rights reserved. |
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