German Bakery

They smile through the massacre
I look on, numbed by the shock.
They see death, coercion, Justice
I see nothing; I’m still in trauma you see?
They move on, planning another
I move on, forget.

‘Life goes on. Time heals all wounds.
Turn a blind eye.’
Bad clichés. Bad clichés.

Them. Me.
Blood-lust vs. apathy,
Hate and indifference.
They watch, and I watch.
Tell me then,
what is the difference?

‘Walk a mile in a victim’s shoes. My heart,
it bleeds for you. A penny for your thoughts?’
Good clichés. Good.

I can remember. Everything, always.
I can -
Hurt. Talk. Feel. Write.

They are willing to die for their cause,
I can at least live for mine -
Be alive. Be human.

-Mukta Patil