BANGLADESH

Your nationhood is young—yet—
Already—it is compromised—
What a toll your republic took—
Three million lives, three million—
Fighting for a shared—Bengali—heritage—
A communal language, culture, literature—
Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian—
A secular, democratic, socialist country—
Was formed in nineteen seventy-one—
Your geography encompasses the delta—
Of the sacred river Ganges—
Your geography encounters mammoth floods—
Sometimes taking the lives of over—
One hundred thousand people—
You retain People’s Republic, not Islamic
Freedom of religion, freedom of speech—
A fatwa issued on Taslima Nisreen—
Lajja on you, leaders of Bangladesh—
Women Prime Ministers allow abuse of women—
Journalists Without Borders condemns you—
Never let fundamentalists rule!

March, 2004