Freedom, You Are
Freedom, you are
Rabindranath's evergreen verses
and timeless lyrics You are Kazi Nazrul shaking his shaggy mane,
a great-souled man in the grip
of creative exaltation You are the bright-eyed crowd
at the Shaheed Minar
on International Mother Language Day You are the militant
flag-waving demonstration
resounding with slogans Freedom, you are
the peasant's smile
in a field of lush crops You are the village girl's
carefree swim across a pond
under the midday sun Freedom, you are
the sunburnt biceps
of a young worker You are the freedom fighter's eyes
glinting in the dark
at the desolate frontier You are the dazzling, sharply worded speech
of a bright young student
in the shade of a banyan tree Freedom, you are
the stormy debates
in tea-stalls and on maidans You are the drunken lashes
of summer thunderstorms
across the horizon Freedom, you are
the broad chest of the shoreless Meghna
at the monsoon's height Freedom, you are
the inviting velvet texture
of father's prayer mat Freedom, you are
the undulations on mother's spotless sari
drying in the courtyard Freedom, you are
the colour of henna
on my sister's soft palms Freedom, you are
the colourful star-bright poster
in my friend's hand Freedom, you are
the housewife's glossy black hair hanging free You are the wind's wild energy,
the little boy's colourful kurta,
sunlight on the little girl's soft cheek Freedom, you are
the arbour in the garden, the koel's song,
glistening leaves on ancient banyan trees,
the poetry notebook, to scribble as I please Kaiser Haq is professor of English at Dhaka University.
Rabindranath's evergreen verses
and timeless lyrics You are Kazi Nazrul shaking his shaggy mane,
a great-souled man in the grip
of creative exaltation You are the bright-eyed crowd
at the Shaheed Minar
on International Mother Language Day You are the militant
flag-waving demonstration
resounding with slogans Freedom, you are
the peasant's smile
in a field of lush crops You are the village girl's
carefree swim across a pond
under the midday sun Freedom, you are
the sunburnt biceps
of a young worker You are the freedom fighter's eyes
glinting in the dark
at the desolate frontier You are the dazzling, sharply worded speech
of a bright young student
in the shade of a banyan tree Freedom, you are
the stormy debates
in tea-stalls and on maidans You are the drunken lashes
of summer thunderstorms
across the horizon Freedom, you are
the broad chest of the shoreless Meghna
at the monsoon's height Freedom, you are
the inviting velvet texture
of father's prayer mat Freedom, you are
the undulations on mother's spotless sari
drying in the courtyard Freedom, you are
the colour of henna
on my sister's soft palms Freedom, you are
the colourful star-bright poster
in my friend's hand Freedom, you are
the housewife's glossy black hair hanging free You are the wind's wild energy,
the little boy's colourful kurta,
sunlight on the little girl's soft cheek Freedom, you are
the arbour in the garden, the koel's song,
glistening leaves on ancient banyan trees,
the poetry notebook, to scribble as I please Kaiser Haq is professor of English at Dhaka University.
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