The following poem by Navjyot Kaur won the third prize of Fifteen Thousand Rupees in Wingword Poetry Competition 2022
There is a barren land
Void of nerve, nurture and virtue
Dry to its core
Hollowed by its crime of apathy
Vacant of blood, liberty and fire
Its guardian
The parasites of power
Force-feed pandemic narratives of truth
And tall tales of terror
Driving dependance, fear and submission
Into desperate minds and paralysed mouths
“Hush now little ones, you are protected”
From their custom cloak of authority
They camouflage and veil
Spineless they rise and claw
Feeding upon the censored dreams of the masses
The eyes of monstrous greed devour
These anti-Gods feast upon dried spirits and dread
Spreading clinical dialogue, generic sermons
The perfect power pill for obedience and control
“Made with Universal Love” for the sterile and subdued
And “The Solution” for a problem that never was
The land of the spiritless lies unawakened
Their callings abandoned by the monotony of their doing
And dying and doing and dying and doing
They crucify and tear the flesh of their depressed and withered pain
For they no longer bleed
Self-destruction their only approved pleasure
An emblem of endorsement and pride
“ Hail the half life !
For it sings of wealth, fortune and bondage
To the rhythm of currency, capital and crime
Hail the half life ”
Upon the torn landscape breath is denied
Only collective sighs form the hymn of the hostage
Sung by limp souls
“ Hush now little ones
Keep craving
Keep needing
Keep fearing
Keep hating
Keep needing
Keep needing
Keep needing
Don’t you cry, trust in me,
For the era of denial will father your misery
Will engineer the magical formula
Of instant pleasure, instant dreams, instant truth ”
The dutiful dose of demise, fear and malice
Death on the dotted line
Engineered by The Authority of Greed
Administered by The Protector
Do not ask why
Do not ask why
Do not ask
Do not.
About the poet
Navjyot is a poet of Indian origin, born in the UK and living in rural France. She writes poetry that digs deep within the individual to shine a light upon and reveal one's inner landscape, bringing the sub-conscious into the conscious mind. Her spiritual path is her guiding compass to bring transformation of the Self and deep-seated change into the world. This is is profoundly felt within her poetry.
Her poetry has been published in Kindred Spirit Magazine, ROAR Feminine Rising Magazine and Braided Way as well as stage performances across Europe including the Brighton Fringe Festival, England's largest arts festival, the Antic Teatre in Barcelona and others. With an active spirituality at its heart, her words and imagery question, prompt and most certainly empower and will never leave you indifferent.