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TOUCH
Touch the things that are kept on the table in front of you
Clock pen-stand an old letter
Idol of Buddha Bertolt Brecht and Che Guevara’s photos
Open the drawer and touch its old sadness
Touch a blank sheet of paper with the words’ fingers
Touch like a pebble the still water of a van Gogh painting
Starting life’s hullabaloo in it
Touch your forehead and hold it for a long while without feeling shame
To touch it isn’t necessary for someone to sit close
From very far it is possible to touch even
Like a bird from a distance who keeps her eggs protected

‘Please do not touch’ or ‘Touching is prohibited’ don’t believe in such phrases
These are long-running conspiracies
Religious-gurus holding flags wearing crowns and shawls
Bomb-throwers, war-raisers indulge in for keeping us apart
The more dirt the more waste they spit
Only by touch can they be cleansed
Touch you must even though it turns things topsy-turvy
Don’t touch the way gods priests bigots devotees disciples
Touch each others’ feet and heads
Rather touch the way the tall grass appears to caress the moon and stars
Go inward feel the moist spot touch
See if it still remains there or not in these ruthless times.