They know for sure
she is 8
he is 11
she knows no fairy tale
she knows no rhymes
she knows but
the pain seeping in
from never ending toil
of scurrying
garbage all day
skin burning in the sun
collecting broken pieces
of fortune
perhaps corked in a bottle
and tossed away
by the privileged
of the city
he knows but
the sound
of utopia being
crushed into coins
and slipped into
worn out pockets
the slur of lullabies
exchanged for
one square meal
to be shared
by him and
his 4 younger siblings
she knows but
the stench
of rotting hopes
held in chapped hands
and sung of
by parched lips
the pain of bleeding bare feet
on the boulders
the crushing weight
on her tiny shoulders
he knows but
by heart
the cuss names
flung at him
in abundance
by the owner of his fate
who exploits
traumatises
and punishes him
with no pity
when he misplaces the orders
of the ruthless city
she finds a home
at the end of the day
when the commotion of traffic
dissolves away
in tattered rags
the cold winds
sting her like razor blades
hugging tight on to her
left over blood
and skin and bone
she shuts her eyelids
with a tired moan
he shares a bed
by the roadside
with a skinny dog
who shares his fate
and loves him back
the night is dark
but for one feeble star
shivering alone
braving another
cold moonless night
shrouded in silence
just like him
the exhaustion takes its toll
they quickly fall
into a tranquil slumber
and drift into a strange dream
in his dream
he wears the uniform
the kid
he saw this morning
boarding a yellow bus
holding his dad's hand
wore
he takes a sip
of the chai
sweetened with stories
of love and peace
and healing
when he joins
all the syllables
in his name
with a pencil
on a paper
it forms a melody
way more magical
than anything
he had ever been called
he knows for sure
in her dreams
he has eloped to the land
where smiles
caress her taste buds
like a delicious scoop
of normalcy
and not god forbidden luxury
and the city
tastes more human
on her tongue
in that dream
she has her hair
neatly done
she wears
polished shoes
she carries a backpack
different from
her trash sack
she knows for sure
"school bags are lighter"
she can bet on it
Posted Oct 28, 2018, 1:47 PM UTC · edited