It’s Down to School Subjects Now

It’s down to school subjects now
geometry and statistics
geography and, science – or the lack of it.

Most of us boxed in:
squarely contained within spaces of 10×10 and less,
or the terraced penthouse on the top floor, no less
windows and screens, real or otherwise
our only line to any sort of enterprise
groceries, food and drinks
arrive in cubes, oblongs and bricks
all of us wary, either stalked
or struck by the spiked beast
but these boxes can still be ticked.

What happens when geometry broadens
to include shapeless shadows in whites and blues
bending, tubing, sweating, in repeat cycles?
What happens when geometry expands
and encompasses metallic cylinders
and breaths come in gasps or none at all?
Mile upon mile of rectangular piles of sticks
are hastily, carelessly, thrown together
our wails unheard, the flames rise higher
to bring this senseless charade to an end.

Statistics then takes over and we don’t even know
if we will be the ones counted or unaccounted for.

Geography matters little to you:
you throng beaches, bars, resorts
unmasked, unsheathed, uncaring!
You explore sun-kissed Maldives,
the Northeast and what-have-you!
You hold grand and massive road shows
of the people and we know what follows!
You take a dip in the mighty river
and all we can do is shudder!

Thanks to these shenanigans
we and you, and all of us
are together pushed deeper
into the muck and the morass.

Geometry confines us
statistics define us
geography completely defeats us
and science is largely ignored.

Zarin Virji is a school leader, teacher trainer and writer.

Featured image credit: Pariplab Chakraborty