The Poem of the Month (October, 2012): JUMP

The Poem of the Month (September, 2012): ARCHBISHOP T. A. GANGULY, CSC

Archbishop Theotonius Amal Ganguly, C.S.C. (1920-1977) of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Photo courtesy: The Pratibeshi (weekly), Dhaka

Today, September 2, is the 35th anniversary of the death of Archbishop Theotonius Amal Ganguly, C.S.C. of the Archdiocese of Dhaka, Bangladesh.  On this occasion, I composed the following poem.

 
Archbishop T. A. Ganguly, C.S.C.

You were like a comet

Appearing in the firmament,

Blazing in the sky and brightening other celestial bodies

With your qualities of humility, thoughtfulness, piety, cheering spirit, and love.

You didn’t seek anything for yourself

But were always ready to give to others,

May you be more giving through your intercession

By being a proclaimed shasshoto shadhu – saint always.

The Poem of the Month (May, 2012)

Doodle (Dhaka: February 4, 1994) © Jerome D'Costa

Gossip

“Oh, do you know?”

“Oh, did you hear?”

“Do you know what happened?”

“I’ve something interesting to tell you!”

These are all introductory talk to get the attention of the listener.

The content of the talk veers on hearsay, made-up stories,

Incomplete information, a mixture of truths and half-truths,

Innuendos and insinuations galore,

Embellished and unflattering news about one’s neighbour.

Although this is the product of an active mind of the gossiper,

It’s cooking up of stories about the gossipee.

This way, the gossiper gives away his or her inner self,

Which is disrespectful, vindictive and short.

The gossiper has “I’m-better-than-thou” attitude,

Who wants peace of mind, an emptying of the jar

By vomiting all the lengthy tales accumulated inside.

The peace of mind comes for a while only,

But again, as if by default, he or she engages in the same practice.

Gossiping is such a waste of time, energy and creativity.

It is so much of demeaning of oneself and stooping down below the gossipee,

In spite of having better things to say and better things to do --

That would really uplift oneself to a more humane level.

Ekushey (21st) February

Central Shaheed Minar, Dhaka

 Artwork (Toronto: Feb. 26, 2011) © Jerome D'Costa

Ekushey February

By Jerome D'Costa

Ekushey February has a meaning

Only when Bangladeshis enjoy freedom,

Freedom from hunger, freedom of the speech

Freedom of the press including the other media.

Ekushey February has a meaning

Only when there’s justice in the country,

Justice in the nation’s law and administration,

Justice in education and business, justice in employment.

Ekushey February has a meaning

Only when there’s equality everywhere,

Equality of all irrespective of race, religion, gender, education and profession

Equality that will heighten the bond of brotherhood and cooperation.

Ekushey February has a meaning

Only when Bangladesh’s mother languages get their proper places,

Mother languages of Bangla (Bengali), mother languages of 40 other ethnic groups

Mother languages that bind individual groups with a solid glue.

If Ekushey February is observed annually without freedom, 

Without justice, equality, and proper places of country’s mother tongues,

It becomes empty, it becomes fake, it becomes a lie,

It becomes a mere yearly show for the show’s sake.

Ekushey February should be a conscience, a guiding light,

Ekushey February should be a measuring rod

For whatever we do in Bangladesh.

The Poem of the Month (February, 2012): Homs, O Homs!

Homs, O Homs!

By Jerome D'Costa

You’re an ancient city of Syria,

Who gave birth, breast-fed and nurtured so many

Of your varied inhabitants

For hundreds of years.

You’re now being assaulted and raped

And your children being bombarded, killed and maimed

By the killing machine of President Bashar al-Assad

Who unabashedly denies his atrocities to the world.

Why so much pain and suffering?

Because your sons and daughters are seeking freedom and equality.

They want to breathe fresh and clean air

As they felt suffocated from injustice, repression and discrimination.

Persist in your efforts, make more sacrifices,

Face death but don’t give up!

Keep to your principles,

You’ll succeed at last.

A day will come

When all sufferings will end,

And peace will prevail

When resurrection will replace death and destruction.

The Poem of the Month (November, 2011): THE WORLD OF 'I'

Design (Toronto: Nov. 30, 2011) © Jerome D'Costa

The World of 'I'

By Jerome D'Costa

The world is basically of ‘I,’

First, it is ‘I am,’ then it is ‘You are.'

The world gives too much emphasis on ‘I,’

Regarding resources, food, health, clothing,

Housing, education and rights.

The ‘I’ attitude is breeding selfishness, greed,

Pride, arrogance and self-gratification,

Depriving innumerable others, even ruining others,

Who are voiceless, vulnerable and marginalized.

The world of “I’ brings in corruption, scandal,

Domination, repression, persecution, deprival,

War, famine, disease, and man-made global warming.

The world can be a wonderful place to live,

If, instead of narcissism, there were selfless love,

Sacrifice, cooperation, tolerance and sharing.

Then the world of ‘I’ would turn to be the world of ‘we.’

The Poem of the Month (October, 2011): HALLOWEEN

A Halloween doodle

Doodle (Toronto: Oct. 31, 2011) © Jerome D'Costa

Halloween

By Jerome D'Costa

Trick or treat?

Trick.

Trick or treat?

Treat.

Trick or treat?

Trick and treat.

That's the suspense

                of the Halloween.

The Poem of the Month (September, 2011): YOU'RE THERE, LORD

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A doodle on God

Doodle (Dhaka: February 2, 1995) © Jerome D'Costa

You're There, Lord

You're there, Lord,

But we don't see you.

You're there, Lord,

But we don't hear you.

You're there, Lord,

But we don't feel you.

Yet, we believe you're there,

We realize your presence in our heart,

We strive to live our life for you,

We even can die for you,

That's the reality for us,

That's the reality for us, Lord.

The Poem of the Month (August, 2011): NATURAL DISASTERS

A doodle on the 1992 cyclone in Bangladesh

Doodle (Dhaka: November 21, 1992) © Jerome D'Costa

Natural Disasters

By Jerome D'Costa

Natural disasters come, natural disasters go

Unexpectedly, beyond any human reach.

To some, disasters come from God

As trials or punishments,

To others, they are part of

The Nature’s cycle of vagaries.

For the last few decades,

Natural disasters are occurring

At a frequent rate,

With ominous ferocity and calamity.

Some say, mankind with its greed and self-centeredness,

Mistreating the Nature and its environment

In a naked and unabashed manner.

As citizens of this world

We need to lead our lives most responsibly

So that our man-made global warming

Might not trigger the Nature’s frequent furies.

The Poem of the Month (July, 2011): WATER & LOVE

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Artwork (Toronto: July 30, 2011) © Jerome D'Costa

The Poem of the Month (June, 2011): AMBIVALENCE

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The Poem of the Month (May, 2011): A CALL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

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Police attack a Tunisian demonstrator on May 6, 2011
Photo courtesy: www.Talent-Tn.net

A Call for Human Rights

These are some Middle Eastern countries,

That gave birth to some ancient civilizations.

Recently common people there

Sought a little more breathing space,

They wanted a little more freedom,

They wanted a little more democracy,

They wanted a little more job opportunities,

They wanted a little more human right.

But, the rich and powerful, the deciders

Of the fate of the majority people,

Wouldn’t like to hear any of these.

They unleashed violence, threw bullets

At the peaceful and unarmed demonstrators.

Result? Deaths, bloodied streets, wounded citizens.

Government retributions, seeking out the leaders of

The social media “instigators and propagandists,”

And arresting of anyone deemed to be a threat

Is the vow of the incumbent rulers.

These demands are coming from their very own –

Their own brothers, their own sisters, their own fellow persons.

But, instead of trying to address the situation,

The easy thing is being done – muting the voices, making the people voiceless.

Like the head-burying ostrich in the sand, these rulers think

The problem and nuisance will go away soon!

The Poem of the Month (April, 2011): THE CANADIAN ELECTION FEVER

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The Canadian Election Fever

Canada is gripped with the election fever now,
Every candidate is debating each other, hurling mud at one another,
Yet promising largess -- big, bigger, biggest -- to the voters,
Without thinking how to deliver it, as if they possess the Aladdin's lamp!

Stephen Harper heads the Conservative Party of Canada,
Michael Ignatieff the Liberal Party of Canada,
Jack Layton the New Democratic Party,
Gilles Duceppe the Bloc Quebecois, and
Elizabeth May the Green Party of Canada.

The election fever got some engaged in the attack mode
In verbum and in guerrilla war of "attack ads,"
Without respecting each other or honouring ethics or morality
The goal is to knock out the opponent.

Now it's up to the thinking and mature-minded electorates
To sort out the chaff from the kernel,
And to wade through the gooey bog
For reaching the destination that's safe for the whole of Canada.

The Poem of the Month (March, 2011): IF WE HAD CAMERAS

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A camera
Doodle (Toronto: March 29, 2011) © Jerome D'Costa

If We Had Cameras

We wouldn't need to write millions and millions of words
Whether 1971 crackdown on the East Pakistanis
Were a genocide or crimes against humanity
If we had cameras as we have now.

Presently our people have both film and digital cameras --
Kodak, Canon, Pentax, Fuji, Olympus, Sony, and Nikon,
Cameras galore thanks to increase in income,
Free-trade imports, students and migrant workers abroad.

1971 was the time when cameras weren't easy to find
Cameras were a luxury, a dearth possession in East Pakistan,
Due to its prices, non-import, and mass poverty of the people
Resulting in limited documentation of the profoundly important event.

If we had enough cameras we wouldn't need
To convince the international community
To see and understand the depth of the seriousness
Of the widespread atrocities of the West Pakistani soldiers and their local comrades.

We wouldn't need to convince
The international jury to convict
The criminals against humanity,
The un-Islamic activities of the self-avowed guardians of Islam.

In addition, we wouldn't need to prove
The communal hatred and brutal vengeance
Against the Hindu population of East Pakistan
And also rape of women of any religion and ethnic community.

Yet, whatever photos and written documents
Still available from local and foreign sources
Are enough to convict the perpetrators of the blood-thirsty genocide
That calls for the justice and "vengeance from heaven."

The Poem of the Month (February, 2011): EKUSHEY FEBRUARY (21st February)

The Central Shaheed Minar (Language Martyrs' Memorial, built in memory of the ones who gave their lives to defend Bangla -- or Bengali -- language from the onslaught of the West Pakistani rulers in East Pakistan on February 21, 1952) in Dhaka

Doodle (Toronto: February 26, 2011) © Jerome D'Costa

Ekushey February (21st February)

The Ekushey February would never be there,

If the rulers of Pakistan were real rulers.

The Ekushey February would never come to pass,

If there were no notion of domination and usurpation.

The Ekushey February would never be there,

If there were virtues of brotherhood, equality and sharing.

The Ekushey February would never be there,

If there were no hypocrisy between profession and practice of Islam.

The Ekushey February is there,

To assert the rights of the deprived people.

The Ekushey February is there,

To give equality to all.

The Ekushey February is there,

To think and act freely according to one’s conscience.

The Ekushey February is there,

To give freedom to one’s word.

(Updated on February 6, 2018)