I Was Born Where I Couldn’t Belong

Dona Acharya
PA, USA

I was born where I couldn’t belong
And I belong where I cannot be born
My tongue would be tied
I too, might as well
Be tied, and tied in a sack
Tied into a fast flowing river
Happy that I escaped,
Alas! I still am!

I was born where I couldn’t belong
Where I was to believe fully,
That I partially did
I wanted freedom-
Hard to find it
Ended up in scrutiny

Barbed fences
Contained it
Wholly humans
Couldn’t be as well
But we were contained
Within the fences
Within gruesome scrutiny

Freedom seeks itself-
Through the barbed fence
Pull the fence up
Some thorns into your hands
Some into your back
Extra blood pumps into your heart
Racing off-free
Racing off-terrified
Away from scrutiny

Peeling off some skin
Reeling off – away
Free would I be!

Very short lived
But free
Like quicksand
My freedom would perish
Soon,
As the locals
Recognized me easy
Same color
Same tongue
But they knew
Who I was-
Past the fence
Under scrutiny!
I left the scrutiny
And where is freedom?

I belong where I cannot be born
Freedom of speech-
It’s the law
That of thought
That of conscience
Nonetheless to see
Tolerance and respect
Not much a reality!
No one understands
Or wants to understand
The cause of it all
That made me to flee

I belong where I cannot be born
I want to believe that I am free-
To practice my way of life
To appreciate the essence of plurality
Tolerance and respect
That would help cease it all-
The problems we face as humanity

I want to believe that I am free
But they want me to believe
What I never did
Will never want to believe
I respect their thoughts
They don’t want to mine
Tough times
Enough had I
Perhaps enough shall I

Charities –
Pity befalls
I am grateful, that they help
In return but more,
They want me to succumb
Get lost:
Forever, forever
I was born where I couldn’t belong
I cannot be born, where I belong.

Tags: Anniversary Bhutanese Literature Dona Acharya