A Soldier's last cry-Mumbai 26/11

Huddled inside, feeling for a fellow human
I sat there distraught, steel in my hand, fire in my belly
I could see him moving in front of me, like an apparition
My finger had the power to make him meet his doom

A relaxed quite evening, munching on morsels , lazing on CNN
A nice dull listless newscast turned horrific, I sat up
Hotel,blasts,terrorists,fishing boat, Skoda, CT,all in a blur
And then it happened, the ringer of my future beeped briefly

Twenty four hours have passed, sitting inside my luxury suite
Surrounded by the richness of blood,gore,death and anguish
I went back to the day I decided to serve my nation
A bride in my life , a sniper as her wedding gift

White shirts, candles, peace marches and email chains
Supporting a cause, emotionally charged for those special moments
It’s all very fine, neither seen by the militant nor the minister
Diplomacy never shared my workspace

Orders coming strong, the Major says kill all
Politics coming strong, capture him alive
I will die for my country, for my unit ,for my honor
But the country is long dead,so what am I fighting for?

We were taken hostage on our independence day
What the white soldiers left behind , the Netas took over
Bombay is just a microcosm of our times
But my duty eggs me to save our land again

The final assault, we move into position
Sandeep,Hemant and a few friends have left
Yes I’m a soldier, guts, nerves and an unnerving faith
But my heart bleeds, for I am human too

Yes, we are going to kill them, save hundreds of people
Awards, glory, promotions and for some , martyrdom
But where are we headed, dear countrymen?
Back into the abyss of corruption and greed

Maybe I should have taken the IT route, yes I am an engineer too,
Maybe America and dollars , and yes , a Skoda and a house
Maybe I could have watched this all in my home on TV
And forget about it when Sachin scores a century

The time has come , no more reflecting
Time for action, I move out, aiming to maim
Have a hostage in front and the scum next to her
I had to take a chance, now or never

I wait for his move, a slip, a chance
Her life cannot be harmed, I know mine can
I used the decoy, saw his movement
Grabbed her with one arm, shot him with the other

My sub machine gun remained silent
As if a witness to the grim ordeal of my fate
I saved a life, I knew, and it wasn’t mine
The defence deal had sealed my life

I caught him by his leg , refusing to let go till I live
Slipping into comatose,eveything whirring past my mind
My home, my folks ,my school, those memories
our garden, my dreams, my childhood….the politics

Maybe we have corrupt ministers, no hopers in charge
Maybe our laws are outdated and we are mired in survival
But this I leave you with...It’s an honor to be born in the soil of my land
Let us fight till the end,Don't lose hope, we are Indians, be proud