a plain of thought

and then, there are these stuffs, it’s:

just a metre away for the largest lake to become a sea
just a memory away for amnesia to become the alzheimer’s
just a gunshot away for marx to become mao
and i realise the loktak is a home to a thousand gunmen
some protected by the law, some others not

just a kilometre away for north india to become the south
just a satan’s hiccup away for inferno to become the infernal
just a button, an extra, away for moreh to become thailand
and i have found your partner is an assassin
my partner a monster

just a fix away for the opium to become heroin
just a mayang away for manipur to become india
just a pellet away for indian kashmir to become pakistani kashmir
and it’s already out on the street; leave pakistan
leave afghanistan; heroin is better than india

just a boundary away from india to become burma
just a degree away for the angle to become an angel
just a bank account away for revolution to become extortion
and they say the rebels are in burma
those in the neighbourhoods are mere contractors

just a peg away for the army to become whisky
just a khul away for majorkhul to become moozzeekhul
just a percentage away for a tender to become ibobi’s property
and half of khwairamband keithel is a regulated, taxed brothel
and the other half is a whorehouse, with no revenue

just a leaf away for grass to become marijuana
just a flight away for the place of exile to become a home
just a gun away for the rebel to become a revolutionary
and it was spread by the grapevine, in the city
the actors are here looking for a good quick fuck

just an elastic away for boxers to become briefs
just a film away for bala to become kamala
just a chamber away for a revolver to become a pistol
and the politicians become a nationalist, as if we care
for the election is due next year; a heap of dung

and just a word away for my rant to become ‘a’ rage
i have decided to see the formalities like a gentleman
it is better than killing people, say, think about it standing on a peak
just as, say, a day of freedom is better than a year of slavery