Lest, we forget, a legend’s loss
Our, bright Black hope, in a dark, White fief
Alas, whose silence, on, Black cause
Defeats, our ethos, beyond belief!

Who, never resented, racist rants
How could, he be, his clan’s hero
He relished, glory’s, cherished chants
His, brethren’s pain, did he, never know!

For the genius, he was, love Pele
But, not for his, subservience
To a, White man’s awe, for his, Passion-play
And, for his race, his, brazen, indifference!

Are, these words, mere, rituals, for a news
Still, a lesser race, lives, in, a cul-de-sac
For someone, who never, shared our blues
How Can, We Say, “Our King, Is Black”!

© 2022 Vikas Chandra