For Truth to Prevail
Who will dare to drink poison
for Truth to prevail
like Lord Shiva ,
when both angels and demons ,
yearning for Amrit to be dredged out of the bottom of ocean ,
fled in panic and fright ?
But Lord Shiva stood firm and steadfast ,
while gulping down the deadly venom ,
with ashes smeared around his body ,
subjugating fleshly passions and animal instincts,
chained like a devil in the dark caverns ,
hid below the slushy surface ,
gurgling with muck and mud ,
masquerading in masks ,
wrapped in trinkets of glitter and gloss,
inhabiting the bastion ,
fortified with vanity and arrogance ,
fluttering with gawdy feathers of knowledge,
the crown and glory of civilization
ramping up the citadel of ascendancy .
Who will drink hemlock like Socrates ,
the apostle of Truth ,
with a stoic smile on his face ,
chiding his disciples,
wailing and whining like weaklings ?
Who will forgive one’s tormentors ,
like the lamb of Innocence ,
while being nailed alive on the cross ,
with blood trickling down his body with gashes galore ?
Embracing Truth is like wading through a river of fire ,
with flames leaping up ,
to safeguard the meek, shy deer of Beauty ,
frisking up and down the meadows verdant,
resonating with mellifluous warbling of avions ,
hid in the dark green grove ,
exuding the melody of symphony ,
writ in a script of silence deep ,
as fathomless as a bottomless ocean .
Ashok Kapoor*
- Prof Kapoor has taught English literature for more than 40 years to PG students and retired as a Principal of a college in India .