Hymn for a Nation

A poem by Achuthan Panikath

Fri Jul 17 2026

Is love for our land earned or obliged?

If the waters of the womb submit to the covenant of blood,
We are free to love as we dare.
Yet we kneel.

When the reign of a pestilent fool toys with the lives in our dirty colony,
We rise; even fear armors in love.
With the conscience of one shared being,
Honoring the lives of the past and those yet to come,
We squirt our patriotic lust; blind to the child that leads our battalion
As we discipline the other for crossing some line;
All pawns may fall so long as our king outlives. Checkmate.
Let us fight till our dying breath for our home.
Movies shall immortalize our bond that looked past
skins, tongues and the athletes we saw as gods.
Men shall be honored for planting our flags.
Women shall be praised for taking up arms.
Trans shall be brethren, immigrants true allies.
Fences shall be torn; villages kissed, taxes raised.
Truth shall be whatever we want it to be.
In war we always win, for we love our land.

In peace we must choose to pocket our love.
Now that we know our love casts a shield,
Let peace sour, that war may taste sweet again.
Let us smoke up the air and sell purifiers.
Men shall be lynched for mocking our flags.
Women shall be jailed for voicing their fears.
Trans shall strike fear, immigrants eat dogs.
Guns need some action, let's shoot up a mall.
Borders shall be fenced; villages ignored, taxes raised.
Truth shall be whatever we want it to be.
In peace someone wins, for we love our land.

When the next child toys with us, we'll love our land.
Until then, you wear blue and we can't talk.