Colonialism Poem by Sharad Rajimwale

They ruled us by the use of Tea Force
dominating our Palate
and Taste buds,
pushing pure, divine milk aside!
While milk was saved for
stone images and children
Tea spread the Crown's Empire beyond every threshold
in Brooke Bond boxes
and Lipton's cartons
From glinting bone-china cups
to dirt-encrusted chipped glasses
at wayside dhabas
percolating taffene, nicotine.....
that ensured
that the Empire would survive
its purely political lease-

The masters in Tea Gardens
changed from white skin to brown,
but the coolies
remained the same
back-bent, slouching, half-hungry
poor
carrying shadows
of the Empire
past the glory of Freedom,
past liberalization,
past new-found Global; bonhomie!
by Sharad Rajimwale
Jodhpur, India