This poem of mine was published in the Freedom (August) issue of Tamarind Rice. Check it out here.
She woke up with a jolt
And was asked to clean the floor
Her tiny hands working swift
Doing chore after chore
The kids she helped dress
Were in orange, white and green
She wondered what was special
Definitely something she had not seen
As she polished the elder one's shoe
A tiny speck smeared her face
The innocent tots squealed and giggled
A choking gut was her only embrace
Her fragile body moved slowly
As she packed delicious lunch
Stuffing them for the others
Never daring to grab a munch
After the crowd was gone
She grabbed a fallen flag
Cleansing it on her dress
She sneaked it into her bag
This act caught the mistress' eye
She then beat her black and blue
Thief, thief she yelled and said
Slaps more and kicks a few
Discretely she wipes the tears
Her lips parched in thirst
The unkempt head spinning a reel
Emotions waiting to burst
The kids came back with joy
As she nibbled on a meager meal
Chores still she had to finish
Absolutely no time to heal
She looked up at the calendar
Trying to understand the date
Two years since she was here
Clearly with a broken fate
Fifteenth August made no difference
The store room was her kingdom
Days and months passed before her
But none brought her freedom
~ Soumya
So many children face similar fate at the behest of people who can manage more money, but not enough time to do what is theirs to do.
ReplyDeleteIf only the implementation of child labour were a little more stringent.
Strong post there!
Regards,
Blasphemous Aesthete
Seriously. It hurts to see, hear or write about such things :(
Delete*Standing Applause*
ReplyDeleteAwesomely written.
As ^BA says, there are still a large number of people who share the same fate.
If only we could change that, the world would be a better place to live in.
Thank you Ajay.
DeleteIf only is the dreaded word here.
Nicely written,its a pity that a child have to work in order to get the daily meals.
ReplyDeleteSadly,thats what happening in some part of the world.I hope one day they achieve their own freedom
Thank you dear.
DeleteHope is all we can have.
Even for a poetically challenged person like me, this is so beautiful. Pain and helplessness so wonderfully conveyed. I lose hope on things like 'Light at the end of the tunnel' and 'Silver lining on every cloud' sometimes.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it :)
DeleteAnd yes, lets keep up the hope.
A very long way. Thanks for visiting :)
ReplyDelete