I am Waiting

by Gopal Lahiri / August 2nd, 2026

I am waiting for the poor to be blessed,
to turn inward and inherit the mother earth .

I’m waiting for the animals and birds to take back
the forests, skies, rivers, oceans and repossess the nature.

I am waiting for a way to be strategized
and destroy the hoarders, conmen and looters.

I’m waiting for the battered youths to grab the neck
of unscrupulous politicians, and money launderers
and throw them into the prison.

I’m waiting for the boys and girls to strive
for the change without resorting to violence.

I’m waiting for the bruised students to scale
the heights and serve the nation with earnest.

I’m waiting for the cancerous society to be wiped
away only to reclaim its pride of place at the end.

Gopal Lahiri is a bilingual poet, critic, editor, writer and translator with 29 books published, including eight solo/jointly edited books. His poetry and prose are published across more than seventy journals and anthologies globally. His poems are translated in 16 languages. He has been nominated for Pushcart Prize for poetry in 2021. He has received Setu Excellence Award, Pittsburgh, US, in poetry. He is the first recipient of Jayanta Mahapatra National Award for Literature, 2024. Read other articles by Gopal.

This article was posted on Sunday, August 2nd, 2026 at 8:00am and is filed under Poetry.