Courage is a luxury!

For those who ain’t got a choice
And for many it’s a way of life

The one who barters her body
And mortgages her soul
Every night
To buy…
A new lease of life
For her cancer bedeviled mother
Hope for her siblings
By paying for the hovel’s roof, school and food
Love and affection of her father
Fending for his daily alcohol appetite
Every morning
Stitching her tattered vagina
Innumerable miscarriages be the collateral damage,
She lives, yet a part of her dies
Courage to her is, quintessential !

A War hero
With a glass eye and a wooden hand
Crippled halfway down
Battered by a hidden landmine
Patriotism still beating his aging heart
Honesty still brimming through his veins
His glorious memories of battlefield, keeping him alive
Yet often rebuked by kith and kin, living off his pension
For never putting himself before the countrymen
Courage for him is a, hyperbolic expression!

And many more…
A slum dweller,
Choosing honest labour in the harsh sun
An impaired man, learning skills over asking for alms
An acid attack survivor, spreading smiles through her scarred, burnt face
A revolutionary poet, a fireman, a selfless activist…
Waking up each day, sticking their neck out
taking upon the challenge to bring a change
Starting with their wattle and daub
Fighting fires, radiating joy, standing up for each right cause
So many …
Not breaking, not bending, rising against all odds
Courage to them is, elemental !

For rest of us
Living a thousand lies
Camouflaging mediocrity under the la-di-da
Seeking refuge in ersatz emoticons
Basking in our faux pride
The battles are trivial
The triumphs are fake
Social media full of causeless war cries
Clueless, mindless, shying away from reality
Often we seek approval from ‘comments and likes’
Courage for us is, just adrenaline !