Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

 Twinkle, twinkle little star

Dare I wonder what you are?

A sun like ours in the sky

Or a drone-bot flying by?

Wish upon a falling star

But not in a never-ending war

Is that a meteor arcing down

Or a Hellfire missile on the town?

I saw my brother play outside

On his bicycle he took a ride

High above, a godlike eye

Looked down on him from the sky.

Far away, hands levers pressed

And for his shroud my brother dressed

A button pushed, a rocket sent

And I heard my mum’s lament.

The grass is thick, the grass is green

Softer and thicker than I’ve ever seen

Is it because below, the bodies lie

Killed by robots which overhead fly?

I’m told the drone pilots fear

That in their hearts they shed a tear

And that they kill only when they must

So why is my brother now as dust?

Somewhere else, the rising moon

Is for lovers a godsent boon

They can hold each other, hug and kiss

And know not terror, but joy and bliss.

And for such lovers, a star must be

Another sun in the stellar sea

Not for them the bots that kill

At the orders of a foreign will.

Twinkle, twinkle little star

Dare I wonder what you are?

Dare I look up at the sky

And hope I’m not going to die?

Twinkle, twinkle little star

Up above my head so far

Tell me if I dare wonder

Wonder what you are.

Copyright B Purkayastha 2012