A leader has come to grace the town
Poles, bars are tied with party flags
People wear a festive look,
Hymns fill the air of tea shops, bazaars, malls
Policemen hurry and scurry
Corners and roadsides are empty
Aliens and outsiders are pushed to the town’s edges
Life-size cutouts, posters, flags,
Boards and festoons are on every hand—
Parents guarding NEET centres
Beggars keep on begging
Harlots keep faith in the morning rays
Scrap collectors collecting tins and tarp
Masons are building blocks for Babus
Flower-sellers are readying for the day
Aam admis are waiting in an endless queue for
A look at god’s escort rally
Roads, lanes, and by-lanes are closed
Fields filled with sweaty faces, frail limbs
Khakis on sides with nylon ropes in hand
A meal and a flag
A booth is safe; a panchayat seat won,
A Banerjee has come
A Bhattacharjee will win
A Chatterjee will rule for days to come
And hamid, sarif, haradhon, mahato
Will kill mates in god’s name
Or catch a south-bound train
Or rot at home
(Previously published in Indian Periodical on 4 June 2023)
