Struggles in Vain?

Will Two Thousand Eleven be more of the same
Year of wars, prisons, profit motives by other names
Shall we have renounced our faith systems and gods
Would religious perversions and charities finally end

Can we look ahead to forge progressive alliances
Bring together historically oppressed, dispossessed  
Detached from ruling class fixations, their fancy histories
Imagine new ways to expropriate established monopolies? 

Are new formulations going to ensure global solidarities
Or farcical elections to continue national sovereignties
Assange will get justice from imperialist coalitions
Or be declared a terror despite political polarities

In the name of justice how many Mississippi Sisters
How many Mumias, Cuban Five, political prisoners 
When will have Guantanamo served its purpose
Will the new year liberate conscience of its shackles

Shall Two Thousand Eleven be more of the same
Love-hate with China, Obama, and WikiLeaks fame
Denials of sexism, casteism, stronger class societies
Gender disparities, discriminations, patriarchy shame

Pakistani flood victimizes still, Haiti a garbage dump
How long more we abuse nature, and racism with aplomb
When India’s majority rises up, against McMohan Singh
Will next year stop branding the poor, as a Maoist bomb

Truth and objectivity shall remain media mythification 
Or get exposed as massively seductive distortion
With multitudes of skepticisms, principles compromised
Shall we finally restore firm belief in radical revolution?  

No easy answers in two thousand and eleven
Yet another year of hope, few more pledges given 
Unless equipped with knowledge of social justice tools  
No triumphs for the oppressed, and all struggles in vain

– Saswat Pattanayak, Peoples’ Poet