Guest Post: Rosemary Moore

Im glad to share a poem by Rosemary Moore on Machang Lalung

Misused, abused, he lived a life he didn't choose,
who are you to hold someone's life in your hands,
abandoned, misfiled, who really cares,
was it worthwhile to lock someone in a cage,
who was worthless to you,
you heartless maniacs, you stole a life,
you cannot give back, broken spirit,
cruelty in its worst form,
hopelessly in hope stared blankly
at the same old walls,
waiting, waiting always waiting,
for better days that never arrived,
eternity is waiting for the abuser,
endlessly unending pit of doom.

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Note: Machang Lalung spent 54 years in prison without a trial.
Lalung had been arrested at his home village of Silsang (Assam) in 1951 under section 326 of the Indian Penal Code for “causing grievous harm.” According to civil rights groups who have investigated Lalung’s case, there was no substantive evidence to support the charge against him. In any event, those found guilty of this offence typically receive sentences of no more than 10 years’ imprisonment.
Less than a year after he was taken into custody, Lalung was transferred to a psychiatric hospital in the town, Tezpur. Sixteen years later, in 1967, doctors confirmed that he was “fully fit” to be released, but instead he was transferred to Guwahati Central Jail, where he was imprisoned until July 2005. He passed away sometime in 2006.
Here is a link of a song dedicated to Lalung by my band Imphal Talkies (You need to have Facebook account to listen to the track)
http://www.facebook.com/?sk=inbox&action=read&tid=vKSR6NAiR64V6ZWx0xYKfg#!/video/video.php?v=10150108748297798&comments

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About Rosemary Moore (A short profile written by herself):

I'm Rosemary Anne Moore, I was born on the 31st of December 1968 in Cape Town, South Africa. I have two younger sisters. I have always loved drawing and painting, as i grew up.

I have been married since 1994 and have two teenagers, a daughter and a son. In 2006 we moved to Darling on the West Coast, near Cape Town. I began oil painting lessons with a local artist, Nina Van Der Westhuizen in May 2007 and stayed with her for two years.

In November 2008, i went to an art exhibition by a local artist, Elmie Smit, who is a big Bob Dylan fan. Shortly after this exhibition, i became so inspired by Bob Dylan's music and lyrics. This ignited my love for poetry, so i decided to write my own poems. I wrote my first poem in December 2008, called Black and Blue, concerning the abuse suffered at the hands of a batterer. This was after a 20 year gap of writing a few poems since my twenties.

I painted 44 oil paintings which were portraits of Bob Dylan and my interpetations of some of his songs. I had my first solo art exhibition on the 23rd of May 2009. You can see my work on my website www.rosemarymoore.co.za