UNREQUITED
The absence of love
Can hurt as much as hate
The gods of uncaring
Have pitchforks sharper
Than any devil mischief bent
Even a flower would wilt
Were the rays of the sun
To pass by unheeding
Enough mornings
Then how can a mere mortal
Survive
The non-onslaught that comes
Of disinterest?
Withering seems natural
To any landscape
That lies fallow of
Your touch
Famine and Empire -- Gobardhan Ash
A cyclone depleted Bengal's cash crop in 1942. The following year the British government diverted 60% of what was left to the military, leading to widespread starvation. During the course of a year, an estimated 3-4 million Bengalis died of starvation. According to Madhusree Mukherjee, “Parents dumped their starving children into rivers and wells. Many took their lives by throwing themselves in front of trains. Starving people begged for the starchy water in which rice had been boiled. Children ate leaves and vines, yam stems and grass. People were too weak even to cremate their loved ones.”
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Mr. Vorhees!
ReplyDelete