Ulongo Raja (The Naked King)- Nirendranath Chakravarty

Everyone can see the King is naked.

They keep clapping nonetheless.

Bravo! They howl. Bravo!

Some are possessed by prejudice, and some by fear;

Some have mortgaged their judgments to others;

While some are parasites, some

Are devout acolytes, some just greedy or deceitful;

Some think the royal fabric is indeed fine enough

For their eyes to miss, yet it does adorn the King’s body

Or at least that is not quite impossible.

Everyone knows how the story goes.

Yet in that story

The crowd did not only consist of some flattering,

Downright cowardly, scheming or thoughtless minions.

A child too was present.

Honest, simple and courageous, a child.

The King of the story has descended on the roads of reality, in full view.

Again rises the incessant roar of applause;

A horde of bootlickers have assembled once again.

But that child cannot be found

Anywhere in the crowd today.

Where did the child go? Has someone kept him in some

Cave of a cliff, unknown and

Hidden?

Or has he fallen asleep playing with pebbles, grass and earth

By the banks

Of a distant river, or in the shade of a tree?

At any costs

Go, Find him.

Let him once come in front of the naked King

And stand unafraid.

Let him once raise his voice above this roar of applause

And ask:

Hey, where are your clothes, King?

Nirendranath Chakravarty