Mammon is much derided,

But rules the world.

Jesus pushes back a Sisyphus rock,

If truth be told.

 

Temples are built to Ram,

But passionate demons rule.

To whom he matters more than the temple

Is the deluded fool.

 

Policies are made for the poor,

Or so they richly say;

But through any progressive policy

The rich have their way.

 

Justice, they say, is blind,

But always sees too well

Who pulls the strings of law,

And which boxes she must fill.

 

The cops are color-blind,

But know which colors matter;

Their baton surely  knows

What sort of skull to batter.

 

The media keep due space

For deserving public causes,

But know commercial ads

To be their real bosses.

 

Now and then, the people

Raise a voice and a fist;

Aspirants to power

Add them to platform list.

 

Progress is a dour snail

That braves a world order;

Many fall by the wayside,

But a handful cross the border.


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Badri Raina is a well-known commentator on politics, culture and society. His columns on the Znet have a global following. Raina taught English literature at the University of Delhi for over four decades and is the author of the much acclaimed Dickens and the Dialectic of Growth. He has several collections of poems and translations. His writings have appeared in nearly all major English dailies and journals in India.

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