This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 36; the thirty-fifth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is “and then there were none”
Here I sit upon the hill
where I was placed so long ago
with rituals, ceremonies
and immense pomp and show
Much feared and celebrated
everything that happened
attributed to my ‘divine’ will
bathed, anointed, glorified,
so revered
that I lost sight of my own flaws, my innate failings
Each day I was inundated
with requests and with pleas
“A little more money”
“A good job”
“Please god some peace!”
I looked on helplessly
wondering at the irony
of men with brains and limbs
begging from a ‘stone’ like me
I ‘left’ them to their fate
the human race
to hunger, to pine , to starve,
to cry, to die, destroy and hate
They bore it stoically
waiting for the ‘miracle’
their eyes blind with devotion
just couldn’t see
the paradox
of my creators
relying on a ‘miracle’ from me
For long they bided
my human ‘subjects’
to reveal my ‘holy’ plans
but when it finally seeped
into their rhetoric drugged minds
nothing could make me act
not gifts, nor sacrifice, no amount of time
They left…
their belief though vast
turned out to be but finite
their love though copious
turned out to have a limit
their patience though immense
was tested
On the day when they could take my indifference no longer
when just seeing my stony face wasn’t enough
when the promise of a future heaven was no longer sufficient
they stopped coming
the children, men and women
in that order they fled
The priest hung on for a little while more
the look he gave me as he went
beseeching…
as if to say
I am going too! now!
At least now take an action
prove you exist
Prove that the dreams I showed those people were real
show that you care
that you are really there
that we are your children
and that you are in control of our lives
I remained silent
stonily I watched as he too left
now I sit alone
perched on my throne
surrounded by the paraphernalia of their dead faith
A faith I didn’t deserve
a faith I didn’t demand
a faith that was thrust upon me
by the statue maker’s hands
A faith that expected miracles
from a piece of ‘stone’
a faith that absolved
them of their own indolent ways
and hateful deeds
I can’t say I don’t miss them
Those faithfuls who called me ‘God’
the endless chants barely hiding
their long list of demands
Here I sit upon the hill
forgotten and forlorn
I once had a crowd of followers
and then there were none
The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Introduced By: SIS, Participation Count: 6
Just another wake-up call 
Hi Sapna,
What a wonderful take on the prompt.
“I can’t say I miss them, those faithfuls who called me ‘God’, the endless chants barely hiding their long list of demands.”
Superbly written, to say the least.
Keep up the good work 🙂
Regards
Jay
My Newest Blog Post | My Entry to Indiblogger Get Published
Thanks Jay! Glad you came by 🙂
Loved these lines…so true…
“A little more money”
“A good job”
“Please god some peace!”
Cyno…
thank you Sarabjeet 🙂
Thought provoking. I myself have wondered what does God think when he sees all these people praying? Does He like it? Feel proud? Feel wanted? Feel angry that we rely on Him to solve everything? Feel disgusted because we are such hypocrites when we pray and claim to be religious and yet go out and kill/rape/plunder people. I wonder. Well put. Though I do wish you had also included a part that when people went away they knew they had to fix things themselves and take up some of their own responsibilities instead of choosing the easy way out and relying on miracles! Best wishes for the contest!
Deepa.
Deepa’s Kaleidoscope
I often think about that too Deepa. I left the part after people left open so everyone could interprest it as they like. optimists like you could assume they have taken stuff on themselves and others could assume they have moved to a new ‘god’ or religion or whatever. I like open ends! gives scope for thinking. Thanks for dropping in deepa. will check your entry soon
Written with immense thoughtfulness. Albeit I am not in agreement with your thoughts, it was worth reading the other extreme.No Offence!!
Remember, the Philosopher is important, and not the stone *Ashwin Sanghi*.
All the Best
I agree anirudh. I am not sure if I myself agree with my thoughts always 🙂 so no offense taken. I almost always believe both sides of any argument! Thanks for sparing the time and reading
Another awesome one!
The more I read, the more I wonder what a mind human beings have.. Our thoughts work by the principles of algebra. It starts from one piece of abstract thought like “suppose god exists” and goes on to create webs and castles, none of them having any material proof of existence or validity. Bdw, I was never good at maths, especially algebra 😉
somesh I don’t know if algebra is based on any principles at all. Was terrible at it! But i agree with you about the human mind. Thanks as always ! you are one of the best readers I have 🙂
Yup right! algebra doesn’t have any principle at all, just begin with a “suppose” and go on along with it 🙂
woh! awesome yaar. Actually it is indeed demeaning what we request of the statue, how we implore and how we demand sometimes throwing in a few bribes.
BEAUTY overall!!
Do visit my post “vishw-aaropam”! Would love to see you by! *cheers*
It is ! Isn’t it? Kappu…. i will definitely drop in. Love most of your work
A very unique take on the topic.Indeed why do we always expect a lot from some assumed form of divinity & then blame it for not fulfilling our wishes..beautiful piece of prose 🙂
Thank you Rinaya. We do tend to leave a lot to god. Have you heard the joke about the person who perayed to god fervently that he wns a lottery year after year. one day god appears and says ” atleast buy a ticket !” 🙂
LOL…nice one!
🙂
Unique layout and take indeed! Very poignant. All the luck for BATM!
thanks sarosena! best of luck to you too.
Very profound. To search for answers from a statue of stone and mud, to expect that offerings made to it will count more than one’s own thoughts and actions, to believe in it more than to believe in God itself defies both logic and faith…. and yet for those who have nothing and noone to turn to – the poorest of the poor, the most downtrodden and pathetic of human beings, whose very existence defies belief of a civilized society – can we really blame them for trying to squeeze a few drops of hope and good fortune from the only emissary of God that they can create and approach – an idol?
A well-composed and somehow poignant poem. Lovely.
Mixi (My entry for BAT-36)
So true Meenakshi, for those who have nothing and no one to turn to, god in shape of an idol symbolizes hope. There is nothing wrong with that. If nothing else atleast the process is cathartic. Thankyou for stopping by. I will definitely check out your entry
Very beautiful piece.
thank you 🙂
It was my pleasure. Rhyming at its best.
Thanks! I’ve always considered myself a poor rhymer!!!
Brilliantly laid out words and the emotions captured beautifully. 🙂
thanks harshal 🙂
Ooh we loved your “something new” Sapna mam… You have beautifully potraited the irony of man these days… Also loved your visual representation… 🙂
thanks so much Ayushi!
Love the way you’ve weaved the words. Beautifully written. Atb.
thank you Deepa! ATB to you too.
Loved the thoughts. Even we humans are at times placed on a pedestal, deified and then dumped at the next moment. We humans due to our own insecurities need our heroes or Gods. The moment we don’t get what we want, the God or our hero or leader gets a kick on the posterior. Our Gods, leader and heros cannot have an offday.
And at times leadership is thrust upon a person (eg. our prime minister Manmohan Singh) and this reluctant leader keeps quiet till the patience of people is tested and they start hurling abuses and other such insults….However our search for that hero or God never ends, little do we realise that we have to just look inwards and find the God within us…..
so true sabyasachi. I loved the parallel you’ve drawn of god with human leaders. Its very true and relevant. Thanks for that insight
very well written! so true…loved the flow of emotions from the stone’s angle….a third eye! to the illusion!
Akila
Hi Akila, Thank-you so much 🙂 So glad to see you stop by.
im amazed and questioning myself why didnt i visit your blog earlier, excellent one, very rarely it happens someones poem makes an impact on the mind..yours did.
that’s so sweet of you Asteria. I am glad you visited me too! Hope you like some of the other stuff too 🙂
truly brilliant the message you conveyed through the poem . . i happen to be an ardent believer of God or maybe the whole idea of a supreme power . . i feel people these days are too impatient to wait for the best . I dont think bathing the idol in money is going to please God , but leading a life hurting no one is .
the poem was enriched with rare thoughts and so complete . . brilliant work 🙂
how true maliny. I believe the same. So much better to give that ten rs. to the poor who wait outside than the idol who sits inside. Anyway, what will god do with the money? Buy a nice dress? lol
glad to read something different on this prompt. It was well written, I think.
thank you richi 🙂