Poems on Gandhi

By Devarakshanam Govinden

You stood tall and still,
Clad in loincloth,
Stripped bare of pomp
And the garlands of adulation.

You took command and
spoke in clear and simple words
Believing in the force of your ideas
Rather than of a gun.

Soul force -
Is not the weapon of the weak
But the weapon of the strong.

Soul force -
When will and heart,
And body and mind,
Work in unison.

Soul force -
That alone could prevail
Against the gates of hell.

Fired not with hate for the Other
But with love
For wholeness and humanity.

With the strength to say,
“Enough!
We will not be trampled on like dust.
We will be free!”