in my name – a protest song
Photo: The Indian Express
By Nabina Das
it is in my name
a name you use to kill
it is in my name
a name you use to lynch
it is in my name
you let Junaid bleed
it is in my name
you missed Rohith’s stardust
it is in my name
you blinded kids in Kashmir
it is in my name
your boots trample Northeast
it is in my name
a name that flaunts Manusamhita
it is in my name
a name you flag to threaten
it is in my name
a name you use for religion
it is in my name
a name you hurl at Dalits
it is in my name
a name that hurts Muslims
it is in my name
a name that oppresses women
it is in my name
a name that mouths false scriptures
it is in my name
you call yourself a patriot
it is in my name
you brand yourself a rebel
it is always in my name
that you lay claim to my country and peace
so it is in my name today
we’ll let the story be retold
Bio:
Nabina Das is the author of four books – a short story collection, The House of Twining Roses: Stories of the Mapped and the Unmapped; a novel, Footprints in the Bajra; and two poetry collections, Blue Vessel, and Into the Migrant City. She co-edited 40 under 40: an anthology of Post-Globalization Poetry with Semeen Ali. She teaches creative writing in universities and workshops.
***
Like Cafe Dissensus on Facebook. Follow Cafe Dissensus on Twitter.
Cafe Dissensus Everyday is the blog of Cafe Dissensus magazine, based in New York City, USA. All materials on the site are protected under Creative Commons License.
***
Read the latest issue of Cafe Dissensus Magazine on ‘Women’s Writing from North East India’, edited by Dr. Namrata Pathak, NEHU, Shillong, India.
Cafe Dissensus Everyday 
One Response to “in my name – a protest song”
Thank you for this piece of fine poetry,,
it really fulfills the purpose of poetry