anytime..anywhere

1.
anytime
anywhere
land's the problem
the problem's only land
a little land for food
or for your death
the problem's wholly land
nandigram mudigonda*
today's proper nouns
land's always the common noun
the blood tears spilled for land
eternal historic voyages
when it rains four drops
it's land
that splits into ten seeds
when ten tear drops are spilled
it's land
that flames up in a thousand angers

2.
july twenty eighth
caught in the mouth of the eagle of time
the chick
those who died
those who were wounded
behind the tragedies
carried as news
masked half-truths

3.
yes land's always a problem
those who wilted
in the sun, all season
their plea for shelter
is truly a law and order problem

4.
four of them, united, standing up for four feet of land
deserve, for that crime, to be shot
land to the limit of his padayatra
the one who claimed as his own
crossing nations
the one who gave up whole villages for adoption

the ruler's the same!

made to bear flags like sinners
or shot down like birds
under the ruler's hood
you find the same cunning!

those who lost
loved ones and land, their grief
that brings curses
is everywhere the same!

my translation of the telugu poem eppuDainA..ekkaDainA by narayanaswami, first published in andhra jyoti (august, 2007).
* mudigonda- refers to this incident.