Animal Theater
In 2016 a video log began,
Revealing uncomfortable, toxic aspects of this land.
The dimmer lights flickered till 2019,
When soon in the room, all around,
Dismal pitch black, was the only color seen.
The video kept rolling in dominance,
Picking up speed,
As the months raced by.
A competition on truths
Is the first frame, I see.
Here, the elephant roars,
The donkey brays,
Neither one listening,
To the other, while out-voicing.
The organ grinder, the snake charmer,
The bear trainer, all spin,
In energized glory,
While the multitude of animals,
Dance to the tunes they play,
Media news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Dust storms ensue sporadically, everywhere,
Followed by stampedes, that seem to go nowhere.
The bison are furious,
Their nostrils flaring, hooves clawing,
As Humanity gets challenged,
By insults and atrocities.
The next one has no pictures.
Only the sound of gun shots, fill the air,
Followed by the flapping of wings
As Innocence, en masse rises
To the ethereal, unknown, unseen.
Helpless monkeys create a racket.
They jump from branch to branch,
Knowing not where to land.
Some cling to the lower ones,
Leaks, documents and transcripts.
While others swing from the higher,
Of testimonies, convictions and hearings.
Vultures circling above in anticipation
Compete with the hyenas below.
For indeed they have to choose,
Between the many carcasses of caucases.
On the ground, scuttle, the lemmings,
That blindly follow, their fattened leader,
All ready to hurl and jump
Into the sea of ignorance and fear.
Gentle ground hogs come out
To take a peak outside.
Scathed by the dark cold, however
They return to their holes,
In prolonged hibernation,
To save their souls.
Fiery conflagrations, hurricanes and floods,
Result in massive devastation,
Reminding me that Mother Nature
Ignored and Enraged, is still here.
While the video keeps playing,
I see in the corner,
Of my room,
A candle, there is.
The flame still flickering.
A flame that was lit,
By the Greeks of yore.
A flame that persists,
Inside each of us, too!
Now sheltered, but soon,
To shine ever brighter,
With the promise of a Glory,
That once again will infuse
This land, with vigor, anew.
Vasanti Jayaswal
Composed on Dec 20 2019
Read at the Protest Event : “Help bring our Country to the Light”
Aqus Café, Dec 21 2019 Petaluma, CA
And on January 6, 2020, Rivertown A-Museings Night
Aqus Café