Slave Poem by Prabhakar Subramaniam

When I fly west
In search of greener pastures
Leaving the hot afternoon
Of my country behind
I know I am going back in time
On the other side of the terminal
The same day will be waiting for me;
In a way time has stood still
For many of us
Though kings gave way
For kings without regalia
Who promised better days
For everyone, then
Ushered them in, for their own
My day will be longer
The night will be shorter
And I will wake up to
The same hellfire