I am who I am

I will see people’s faces change
When I tell them who I am
I will hear my neighbours tell
Their children, not to play
With mine

I will hear those same
Children ask me
Baba, are you, are we
Muslims?

I will live with that sound
And with their hurt faces
And their hushed whispers
As they ponder, this new identity
Or lack of one, now

I am an Indian Muslim
Or, a Muslim in India
Some say there is a difference

Change the Mughal Sarai’s name, if you like
Abstract ideals, all these
The tapestry of a common heritage
Lies unspooled

What’s in a name, anyway?
Except when it’s mine
My name
A name to die for