Rani

I sat on my front porch
And gazed gratuitously
When I noticed a woman fairly odd
Take a seat beside me.

She held a sword in her hand
And was dressed entirely in red
She smiled at my puzzled look
“I’m Rani,” she said.

She did not wait for a reply
And told me about a land
Of mountains and jungles,
Strange creatures and golden sand.

“We were living in harmony
We looked after our own
Though we differed from each other,
We left no one forlorn

But they came in large numbers
With their guns, tanks and shells
To destroy the perfect world
We had made for ourselves.

They took our land and wealth
And shrewd policies they imposed
Princes became paupers
Friends turned to foes.

My spouse had passed
My heart was torn
I was proclaimed as regent
But they disallowed my ascent of the throne.

They came bearing arms
To annex the land of Jhansi
I refused to cede my land to them
And so, I led a mutiny.

A fierce battle seethed
And they surrounded my fort
We fought tooth and nail
But alas! We had lost.

Weep not little girl
I am just one of many
Who fought to liberate this land-
This land of the free.

Little girl, always remember:
Fight the enemy
Not of people, their cultures and beliefs
But of hatred and disunity.

Preserve this country
Protect this land
Of mountains and jungles,
Strange creatures and golden sand.”

I continued to sit on my front porch
And gaze gratuitously
When I noticed the woman fairly odd
Vanish from beside me.

Joella Pereira, X-D, Carmel School