The Dawn Never Came

I open my door, early morning
the summer is on the way out
The dawn accentuates
the feeling of change
How soothing is the cool autumn breeze
like a light blanket over my skin
the soft distant sounds of birds waking up

So fortunate I am

So unfortunate they are

What does this dawn mean?
another day of struggle
another day of lifelong reminder
of an innocent life cruelly
taken away

What is this season?
This situation, that never goes away
What went away
was another innocent life
another Dalit life

What do you do?
When the caste you are born in
is made the reason
the season doesn’t change
for you
It dawns on you
that a soft light blanket
may never warm you

What do you do?
When you are raped
and brutalised
and told you are only exaggerating
and when you die
you are thrown to the fire
without your loved ones
able to fill their hearts with one last look

The dawn never came
for you
Instead of warmth,
you got the fire!

When will it matter?
Do Dalit lives actually matter?