Fratricide

It was no mistake that
They called us by the same name
We have lived in verdant splendor
We have walked the starry fields
Our skins bronzed by the sun
Our faces that of the hawk
Our hair that of the raven
Our tongues sing

It was no mistake brother
Though we are
From other ends of the world
We have been here
Since time immemorial
Our names given
To us by the gods
We have seen
The rise of kingdoms
The fall of empires
The rise of the lands
The fall of the heavens

And we have seen them come
They with
Coloured hair
Coloured eyes
Long haughty faces
And skins of wraiths
My people saw them
Before the one God
Was known to us
Through the passes
Of the mountains
That touch the skies
Into the valleys
Of the Hind
The coloured ones came
When they arrived at Harappa
We offered them
A place at our hearths
But the sought instead
To possess all
That fell to their eyes

So the cycle began
With my people
Being put to
The sword
The plough
The foot
The pale demons
Scattered us
As leaves in
The monsoons
Broke our shrines
To build their homes
Made use of our books
As kindling
Grazed the animals
In our grain fields
They behaved like
Unruly children
Let loose in the homes
Of their elders
for that is what they are
Wild eyed kinder
Seeking guidance

If you ask brother
What happened
To these savages
I would tell you
That my people
Had patience with them
Held them close to us
Listened to their questions
Let them show us
The paths they had traveled
The visions they had seen

Then they came to us
Listened to our answers
Followed down the paths
We travailed
And saw our vision quest
They sat at our tables
Shared food among us
Wore our cloths
Traded words
And finally brother
Mingled our bloods
When blood was one
They had become us
The conquerors were conquered
The subjugators were subjugated
The enemy was no more

These cycles have continued
Through five millenniums
Through several invaders
With different names
Different faces
With the same desires
Each time
We have striven
Prevailed
And risen
Brought closer
To the nexus

In time hence when
Our tongues sing in harmony
Our faces are aquiline
Our skins gilded by the sun
Our hair that of the golden eagle
The starry fields our backyard
The verdant splendour our treasure
Our names are one
In that time
I will say to you
That it was no mistake
My brothers
It was
No mistake