in Search of Liberation | Rina Malagayo Alluri

Anguish

Grief stricken
stood outside
water buckets
watching the past
ablaze
in the
wooden chalet

futile efforts
charring
not enough
to transform
the flames
into rainbows

profound guilt
accused 
of failing
to put out
flames
she had not started.

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Confinement

She paced
back and forth
nervous
curious
not knowing
where to turn

unlike others
unable
to camouflage
hide from those
who claim her
as their trophy

a loud roar
subdued
forbidden
to express
so not to threaten
or intimidate

opinions 
only shared
when requested
deemed acceptable
by authorities
enforcing obedience

breaking rules
led to punishment
withdrawal of benefits
infliction of

undeserving
pain

confinement to
a golden cage
protected others
from her wrath
while offering
shelter and safety

oppressed
by solitude
a fear of
shadows that 
emerges with
darkness

a sliver
of light
shines through
a few
fleeting moments
to taste freedom
 
the white tigress
a dying breed
being rare
reduces her chance
of survival
in the wild.

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Post-colonial

Don’t you see
you are mourning
a dictator
that held you captive
for so long
a language
shoved
down
your throat
while ancestral stories
were sheared
with your hair
you no longer
know
how to live
without an enemy
at your back
the promised land
offers no handouts
or fantasy futures
only the
flawed gift
of the now.

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©2023 Rina Malagayo Alluri
All rights reserved

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