ANOTHER OZYMANDIAS

The centre couldn’t hold such unnatural grace

Flowing fast  from above.

So fell the fort.

The fort of false pride, arrogance and lies

Fell flat, bulldozed to be made mild.

The image of the self-acclaimed

Righteous lord of the wild

Was pulled down from the pedestal

Wonderfully well in a calculated move

And his bust so cleverly sculpted

To proclaim his unchallenged authority

Crumbled into dust and was humbled.

For success in high places merit counts,

Not the springboard of some special privilege

That which provides only with an opportunity,

But doesn’t guarantee greatness or dignity.

The mass holds the class in high esteem

So long as the scepter stands for common good

And enjoys trust.

History repeats itself for those whimsical idiots

Who refuse to learn from their past,

And power blind, slip into the gutter of greed

And succumb to the sickness of some foolish deed.

That such thing would happen to him,

He did not know. He did not imagine

That the Bastille would break open

And those who had so long been denied a voice

Would come around swarming like bees

From all sides, sting him and strike vocal

And some of them point their fingers at him.

The imposing autocrat who was proud of his wild ways

And talked high of his stock, would get testaments

Written for him, downplay his subordinates

And use them for narrow personal gains.

He enjoyed befooling his own folk

With his pseudo elitist image

As much as he enjoyed good wine and his harem women,

All on public money, all in the name

Of culture and tradition.

So much assured he was of his authority

That he took his words to be sacrosanct

And his signature the regal seal,

Which sanctified each decree that came from his chamber.

He signed and signed and loved imposing fines

Which were irrationally increased each passing hour

And were enough to blow his bastion or banish him.

Poor Prince! After a desperate attempt to prove

His point, all in vain, he withdrew to the wilderness

In quest of another Kautilya who might be waiting

For an umbrella in some safe haven.