Bless Us Lord for the Sin-Free Life We Are Living
 First Published in “Lift Your Voice”, Kissing Dynamite, Oct 2019
  
 I stare with my gaping mouth
 mock and revere
 at this whimsical reality
 eyes rolling in disbelief
 head bowed in silence
 knees scraping at the pew
 to absolve my sins
  
 We only bow down to the fear of the unknown
 the fear of being punished
 by an exalted God in heaven
 carved in our faith
 surviving generation
 through reams of yellow-tinged holy scriptures
  
 Surrounded by a million slithering tongues and roving eyes
 flooded by the shining spotlight
 waiting for it to become a trend
 to become a sensation,
 for the ignorant minds to be aware
 of the writhing pain
 it has to catch fire and burn.
  
 Leaving marks on our suppurating skin
 seething with blisters in pain of losing
 a loved one,
 a life,
 a country,
 an identity.
  
 It takes a million to march and protest on the roads
 the sun scratching their faces
 burnt and scathed by the injustice
 screaming in silence--
 gutted like a fish in the open streets
 thick blood staining the curbside
 Of the lands we boisterously own
  
 The nakedness of humanity
 staring in the gaping hole in his chest
 shot in the broad daylight
 in the middle of the goddamn market
  
 We turn our eyes in shame
 moves our heads in disbelief
 and thank our gods in heaven
 to spare our loved ones
 the ones we love--
 the ones we really care
  
 We move with our twisted spine
 towards the house of gods
 to worship the one sitting in heaven
 to suck away all our pain
 and bless us with the sin-free life 
 we desire---a life in vain.

Return to Journal

Megha Sood is a New Jersey-based award-winning poet, editor, and blogger. She is an Assistant Poetry Editor for the UK-based Arts and Literary Journal MookyChick, Literary Partner in the “Life in Quarantine” Project by Stanford University, USA, and Associate Editor with Literary Journal “Life and Legends”. She is the author of a chapbook (“A Potpourri of Emotions”, Local Gems Press, NY). Her 500+ works have been featured internationally in literary journals, magazines, anthologies, newspapers, podcasts like Rising Phoenix Review, SONKU, Better than Starbucks, Poetry Society of New York, WNYC Studios, HUDSON Reporter, Kissing Dynamite, American Writers Review, Dime show review, Rainbow Project among others where she received her Pushcart 2020 Nomination. Megha is a Three-time NAMI NJ State Level Poetry Contest 2018/2019/2020 winner and National Level Spring Robinson Lit Prize 2020 winner. Shortlisted in Pangolin Poetry Prize 2019(USA), Adelaide Literary Award 2019 (USA), Erbacce Prize 2020(UK), iWomanGlobalAwards 2020(India), TWIBB Beyond Black Sakhi Awards 2020(USA), Poetry Super Highway 2020(USA). Her works have been selected numerous times by the Jersey City Writers Group and the Department of Cultural Affairs for the Arts House Festival. Chosen twice as the international panelist for the Jersey City Theater Center Online Series “Voices Around the World”.She co-edited anthologies (“The Medusa Project”, Mookychick) and ( “The Kali Project”, Indie Blu(e) Press). She blogs at https://meghasworldsite.wordpress.com/ and tweets at @meghasood16.