When a handful of crooked people
Rejoiced in the droplets of favor
Which the enemy showered miserly on us
Some even, belched in shameless satisfaction.
It was, then O Father you raised your finger
And refused to accept colonial servitude
Uncompromising, as you always were,
Defeated the plunderers who tried to snatch our freedom.
Lamped like the sun in the flag
You exist in the nucleus of this nation
Often enrich our patriotism amidst
Your friendly love mingled with fatherly affections
Hence your existence in my heart is unhindered
The murderous bullets miserably fail
To hide or hinder your presence amongst people
In the nation’s heart too you remain immeasurably immortal.
Know we, Dusk fell suddenly on the dawn of mid-August
As the sun hid his face beneath the blackened cloud
The sky was devastated and wept in weariness
Your blood that flowed down the concrete stairs
Made the whole nation suffer from anemia
But the cigar that fell off from your raised finger
Like a magic stick suddenly lightened up the entire nation
In an unending strength we felt the aroma of patriotism.
O Father, the friend of Bangladesh, we salute you in gratitude
And curse those who were too tiny to measure your magnitude.
August 12, 2016. Maryland
Copyright@Anis Ahmed
*A tribute to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of Bengali Nation