Surjit Aribamm
A painful screech came out of a bush,
Probably from the throat of a frog.
Stepping near the bush, I discovered a snake
With a frog locked fast in its jaws.
The frog straining to escape the jaws,
While the snake straining to engulf it—
That was a struggle between two raw instincts—
The strong survival instinct of the frog
Against the hunger instinct of the snake.
Taking the frog’s side, I scared the snake off
By shouting and hurling a stone at it.
Then, as the dust settled, a question arose:
Why did I interfere and save the frog?
Was it an exhibition of compassion,
Or an exhibition of our dominance
Dressed in the holy garb of compassion?
The very next day, in the school lab
I among peers dissected lots of frogs—
Frogs already killed for our education.
That time, strangely, I didn’t feel any concern.