Salutations

Of course there’s fervor
pride in duty
sense of nation
history and moment,
of course there’s order
the rank-file thing
and the saying of ‘do this’
and the doing-that,
of course there’s appreciation
gratitude for freedoms won
boundaries defended,
of course they are ours
and we are theirs
and of course
under flag and
in the unison of song
the requirement of parade
in the custom of celebration
there is defense of indefensible
the weight of carrying out
orders that don’t unfurl
from flag or chorus
and of course
somewhere between lines
there’s the out of line
of independence-residue
leftovers
left un-celebrated,
of course.




Inspired by the poetry of Chandana Wijesinghe