Who Will? | Jeevesh Gupta

WHO WILL?

When the young Veer shouted no one heard
When the adult Ahmed howled no one gave an ear
When the old Kapil screamed no one turned back

We all got so engaged that we forgot that we could not just speak but also hear
I was speaking, she was typing and the system was dictating but no one heard

We were so busy pressing buttons that we forgot to express
We were so occupied sending messages that we forgot to regret
Many passed by and many passed away
We had forgotten our neighbours, our friends, our relatives along the way
We read the obituary but forgot to hear him cry

We didn’t realise that our mind was being tutored and doomed
We were dancing but to someone else’s tune
Houses bulldozed, partitions built, but we still refused to move
Forests chopped, air poisoned, water turns acid and we are still in our groove
Some say its not my house and some say why bother when I will die soon!

One wonders who will hear the tree cry
Who will hear the rivers while they turn dry
Who will tell them that he and yes even he and yes she still exist
Who will finally say, “you are wrong” and resist
If not you, if not me, who will?

—Jeevesh Gupta