CAPITAL PUNISHMENT ANNOUNCED BY THE MURDERERS

A Poem by Deepachelvan in Thamizh titled
KOLAYAALIGAL ARIVITHULLA MARANA THANDANAI
[கொலையாளிகள் அறிவித்துள்ள மரணதண்டனை]
Translated into English by Latha Ramakrishnan


The feet of buffaloes that carry along ‘Iyami’
who keeps throwing the noose
that is ever thirsty to taste the necks
stamp on
and destroy us.
With a lakh skeletons buried inside a headgear,
in a lone tomb
is created the dream of an entire populace.
With a cruel smile
the murderers have announced capital punishment.
Red pieces entwine into many a noose.
Plucking out the eyes of the race, that
lie writhing, with undeclared capital punishments
‘Kombarasi’ is eating them to her heart’s content.

The nooses keep swallowing those voices
which when kept inside prisons well-covered
come out piercing through the iron-bars.
With hunger that remains raging even after the killing spree
‘Iyami’ dances deliriously.
Fixing the time,
killing and feeding on-
in the nooses of those murderers
We are being wasted away.

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