Face To Face

We want to speak.
We have come to speak of our hunger,
We shall speak.

You stand with raised bayonet,
Aim your rifle,
You let loose your armed goons,
Set your truck upon us.
You cannot hold us back.

We have come to speak about our lack of clothing,
We shall speak.  

Baton charges cannot send us back,
Teargas cannot stop,
Rifles cannot make us retreat,
Machine guns cannot halt.

We have come,
We shall speak about our homelessness.

The peasants will not be on your side
The workers will not abide.
The students will not support you
Nor beauty favour.
The dreams will not be had.

They are in pain
They suffer and yearn,
Raise their hands in dissent.

The trees curse you
The crops curse you
Blood curses you
Children curse you.
Millions of deaths do not hinder,
We have arrived.
We shall speak about our lack of education
We shall speak about our dearth of medicine
We shall speak about our homelessness
We shall speak about our lack of attire
We shall speak about our hunger and deaths.

We have come from the bamboo fort of Titumeer
We have come from the fortress of Sepoy Mutiny
We are peasants of Tebhaga, fighters of Nachole
We are workers of the jute mills, brothers of Surya Sen.
We have come from the Liberation War of Seventy-One,
Guns atop shoulders, cartridges slung on waist, grenades grasped in hand –
We have arrived.