Tag: Poetry

Leaving Home

On By Satyen HombaliLeave a comment 
When I first left my home
A young lad of seventeen
I could not get farther faster
Every new pasture was green

When I first left my family
Tired of being poor and sad
I decided that going away
Was the only real chance I had

When I first left my city
That bore, raised and nurtured me
I couldn’t live there another day
Its gritty streets forced me to flee

When I first left my friends
With whom I read, wrote and played
I thought I would make new ones
But soon my hopes began to fade

When I first left my state
Whose ways I had imbibed so well
I had to find new experiences
I had to learn new stories to tell

When I first left my country
Whose life was the only one I’d known
I wanted money, fame, opportunity
Oh how impatient I had grown

I sit here now, a man with no home
No family, no friends, no city, no state
No country even to call his own
Blaming his doings on innocent Fate

“You only leave home once,”
A wise man once said to me
In a world that is full of people
There’s no one left to hear my plea

Tell Me How

On By Satyen HombaliLeave a comment 
Tell me how you will come for me
Will you skulk quietly in the still of the night
Like a thief tiptoeing on padded feet
Trying desperately to stay out of sight

Tell me how you will come for me
Will you march in splendor, a carnival queen
With fanfare and glitz, sound and fury
Making quite sure you’re both heard and seen

Tell me how you will come for me
Will you be an assassin with your dagger drawn
Primed to perforate with your poniard of pain
And ensure my agony will forever drag on

Tell me how you will come for me
Will you bring with you an armload of reels
To play me the movie that was my own life
And show me how the real denouement feels

Tell me how you will come for me
A priest with cap, turban, collar or cloth
To petition me to regret, repent, rue and pray
For salvation from a life of sin, vice and sloth

Tell me how you will come for me
Whatever you do, please don’t end me violently
While old age and disease are most unpleasant
I’d rather not be a statistic, a daily tragedy

Tell me how you will come for me
Will you come as I know you - hood, scythe and mask
If you dispatch me with a quick coup de grâce
I shall follow you gladly, do everything you ask

Tell me how you will come for me
Will you be the one beautiful face I want to see
Will you be the one helping hand that holds me
Will you make it a pleasure for me to cease to be

Sand Pit

On By Satyen Hombali2 Comments 
You created me in your own image
You manufactured myths about me
You invented me to serve your evil ends
In my name you enslaved the free

You conceived me so you could inflict
The worst injustice on your fellow men
You fabricated me so you could atone for
The sins you commit with your sword and pen

You concocted me so you could fight
The bloodiest wars anyone has seen
You contrived me so you could slight
Those different from you as hadean

You devised me so you could divide
Nation and people, sister and brother
You designed me so you could bestride
Each one you pitted against the other

You forged me so you could legitimize
Your brazen acts of cowardice
You framed me so you could aggrandize
Your shameless, limitless avarice

You engendered me so you could denigrate
Followers of other faiths as “infidel”
You constructed me so you could celebrate
The merciless ringing of their death knell

No matter, dear child, I will let you play
Your cruel games in your sand pit
But please remember, on judgment day
It’s going to hurt just a wee little bit

Missed You

On By Satyen Hombali1 Comment 
I missed you like
A part of me was gone
I missed you like
This heart of me was gone

But just then
A warm breeze blew in
And like your caress
It electrified my skin

I missed you when
The sun rose yet there wasn’t light
I missed you when
The day felt like the darkest night

But just then
A firefly flitted by
And like your smile
It lit up the whole sky

I missed you so
My flowers seemed to wilt
I missed you so
My song had no lilt

But just then
I heard the church bell
And like your laugh
It told me all is well

I missed you with
Every heartbeat and breath
I missed you with
An ache worse than death

But just then
I felt a gentle rain
And like your love
It washed away my pain

I Alone

On By Satyen Hombali2 Comments

(Please forgive the patois. I kinda had to resort to it. Hope you’ll see why.)

Take me to ma home man
Take me to ma home
I feel I alone man
I feel I alone

I gone to America man
I gone to America
I live life fit fuh king man
I live life fit fuh king
Den one day it all change man
One day it all change
Alla dem actin’ strange man
Alla dem actin’ strange
Dey elec' dis big asshole man
Dey elec' dis big asshole
De country it los' it soul man
De country it los' it soul
Can’t live dey no mo' man
Can’t live dey no mo'

I land in Jamaica man
I land in Jamaica
Paradise on Earth man
Paradise on Earth
But you gots to take good cay man
You gots to take good cay
Too much drugs out dey man
Too much drugs out dey
Man kill man for penny man
Man kill man for penny
I los’ a friend too many man
I los’ a friend too many
Can’t live dey no mo' man
Can’t live dey no mo'

Nex' to Trinidad man
Nex' to Trinidad
Bes’ time evah I had man
Bes’ time evah I had
Woman dey big eye man
Woman dey big eye
Nah safe fuh no guy man
Nah safe fuh no guy
Dat place not fuh me man
Dat place not fuh me
Not ma cup of tea man
Not ma cup of tea
Can’t live dey no mo' man
Can’t live dey no mo'

Full circle to India man
Full circle to India
Country of my birth man
Country of my birth
Life here nah so bad man
Life here nah so bad
But you gots to be a cad man
You gots to be a cad
Dey tells you what to eat man
Dey tells you what to eat
You eat it or get beat man
You eat it or get beat
Can’t live dey no mo' man
Can’t live dey no mo'

I feel I alone man
I feel I alone
Take me to ma home man
Take me to ma home

The Great Unknown

On By Satyen Hombali5 Comments 
A new day arrives
With it my spirit revives
But soon my mind dives
Into the great unknown

I am but a withered dry leaf
My journey now is all too brief
I hope I’ll be blown, to my relief
Into the great unknown

I feel like a nameless pebble
The river wore down my inner rebel
I want to be thrown, away from trouble
Into the great unknown

I was born a barren seed
That grew into a worthless weed
I must believe my path will lead
Into the great unknown

I wish I was a little songbird
My tunes regaled with nary a word
Best of all, I’d fly undeterred
Into the great unknown

I want to be bright, like a firefly
Flit about, lighting the night sky
After my glow fades, then to die
Into the great unknown

I will float in, like a snowflake
Every new day a new shape to take
On a winter’s night, sleep and then wake
Into the great unknown

I am
A leaf that is blown
A pebble that is thrown
A seed that is sown
A bird that has flown
A drone that dies alone
A speck of snow that has shone
Into the great unknown

Anthem

On By Satyen Hombali3 Comments 
Yes you can
Cut off my tongue
But no you can’t
Stifle the songs unsung
Of my seared soul

Yes you can
Cut off my hand
But no you can’t
Ignore the demand
Of my sinewy stump

Yes you can
Cut off my legs
But no you can’t
Sever the steely pegs
Of my rebel spirit

Yes you can
Take away my rights
But no you can’t
Stop this fight
It will go on

Yes you can
Treat me like a brute
But no you can’t
Expect I’ll remain mute
Much longer

Yes you can
Put me in a cage
But no you can’t
Smother my rage
It will burn you

Yes you can
Call me an alien
But no you can’t
Still remain human
I’m just like you

Yes you can
Sow the poison of doubt
But no you can’t
Stop the truth from coming out
It alone will win