Skip to main content

The Grendels


Horror is lurking behind every moment of darkness,

Seeming to be human, we cannot distinguish you from Grendel.

We see no Beowulfs coming to rip off your arms that aid you well.

When every closed door warns us,

Every stare seems to map our bodies,

Every vehicle appears to follow us,

Every touch seems to warn us,

You, cultured and well behaved,

You are the light of the day,

You are the Lord of the people,

Who metamorphose into damned dangers 

At the end of the day.

Your venomous fangs go in search of 

Prey,

You wait in the darkness with twinkling eyes,

Admiring the power of your hands,

That can open up hearts,

And show the uncultured your worth. 

After every hunting, the sycophants who surround you,

Kiss your hands and touch your feet.

They wash your dirt and make your bed.

They cure your sickness by gifting you scepters.

Making you invisible, they uproot every Beowulfs to ensure your reign.

Thus you flourish, never to die but to hunt and haunt.

And behind your house, we see a pile of dirt, 

Fresh and wet, making a scarlet mansion,

to inspire and nurture baby Grendels,

To make us disappear.


A.C


Yesterday, October 1 was National Poetry Day. I wrote this poem specifically because every news on violence against us builds up a lot of trauma in us. And we disappear at every injustice towards us. I don't know how powerful this poem is, but this is my way of protest against the brutal Hathras gang rape of a 19-year-old girl and the injustice done to her family even after her death.

Grendel is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. Grendel is described as "a creature of darkness, exiled from happiness and accursed of God, the destroyer and devourer of our humankind". Beowulf tears off Grendel's arm, which eventually kills him.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

THE SILENT CRY

Darkness ...at  its  zenith Silence.. at  the sound 's lowest decibel.. I wrapped  myself up into the blanket tears rolled down my cheeks.. I cried.. I cried in the dark silence silently.. No voice of my cry.. I bite my hands.. I cried silent loudly.. I cried for the dreams unfulfilled I cried thinking of my unpredicted future.. I cried thinking of my unknown death.. I cried thinking of my  inabilities I cried  thinking of  the gifts  not given to me I cried  thinking of my people.. And I complained  God Almighty for the miseries given to me.. ... I   wiped  off my tears.. I smiled. Perfect... Nothing is better than this silent loud cry..!! A.C

Kaathal - The Core Breaker of 2023

  Kaathal - The Core is one of the movies of 2023 that left an ache in my heart. It's the kind of movie where you just sit and stare at the wall for hours after you finish it. I keep thinking about the pain of Mathew, Omana, Thankan and Chachan and it is something that continues to haunt me. Mathew’s pain is something that has become part of him by living the prime of his life pretending to be an integral part of a heteronormative society. His calm and meek personality is like a dormant volcano that is likely to erupt anytime. When he confronts his pain with Chachan and Omana, we see him peeling off his outer layer of crust and showing us his core. The core, that has carried deep wounds of fear and shame of coming out and confronting his fears, all this while.  I don’t think I have seen a more compassionate and kind woman as Omana in recent movies. Despite being in a marriage that doesn’t fulfill her needs, she stays in it for years for the sake of Mathew. And when the right ...

Little Poem

  My procrastination ends here, While the urge to write chokes my throat, My hands get paralysed as in a trance, I find excuses to write a little poem, I make up a lonely man, a distressed woman, a lovers’ quarrel, an unrequited love, But they are reluctant to play the part, Maybe i should give them a raise, Or throw a party at midnight, Maybe a few drinks might work, Only if they don’t puke. I can expect a little vandalism,  Some damage to the property and a mini scandal, Possibly out of rage. But at the end when I bring my weapons, Sometimes they get scared and back off, Some may never come back, Others find it funny and mock at me, And opportunists, seeing my desperation, Attacks me with manipulation. And all these while, my three panic attacks  talk to me in a different language, I try to write a little poem With a racing heart and flowing eyes, I write my little poem, tortured and broken, I end my little poem, Like a mighty warrior,  Who had a pyrrhic victory.