Doomed

by Vinita Agrawal

In three small poems, Vinita Agrawal conjures images of poverty that rules the streets, while also gently touching upon the economic disparity that exists within the society.

#1
They eat runny garbage
or leftovers lying outside
wedding grounds on which flies buzz.
Sometimes their eyes follow
the ice cream in your hand.
You give it to them after a few licks.
They flash a stunning smile.
I dream of their hungry eyes at night.

#2
They wear tattered rags whose colours
grime has erased.
The scraps of clothes prey on the women’s
nudity; the children brave the sun
naked-backed, the men simply blend into their sacks.
In winters, one blanket stretches over a family of five.
Silverfish run on the clothes and quilts
piled in trunks or bed boxes at home.

#3
They live beneath flyovers
or take refuge inside stone pipes.
Their belongings lie
scattered, like senses,
on the squalid streets.
In the middle of busy roads
they create homes with walls of air
where their children stroke
a street dog
who also makes his home with them.
The walls of our houses seem impenetrable.

Vinita Agrawal is a Delhi-based writer and poet and has been published in international print and online journals.

Pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pranavsingh/