By RK Lakhi Kant
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\nAs the women carry heavy loads of firewood
\nDown the busy roads;
\nOn a high of wealth, does the younger generation know
\nHow life is going about in the impoverished homes
\nIn the neighborhoods of New Delhi;
\nIs it justice? – The poor left on their own with a few currency notes;
\nDoes the city planning include them,
\nAnd their way of life;
\nA life removed from what they know reality to be like, as at home;
\nAn enforced, business like equation now – but,
\nIn all fairness, say the rich.
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\nReality for the younger people; for them,
\nHigh rise colonies and microwave cooking is life’s reality;
\nThe poor pay with hard labor for the ‘inebriated with money’ class;
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\nFurther down the freeway as I take a walk,
\nA poor man with a big sack on his head
\nWaits for the traffic to halt at an awkwardly placed red light;
\nDesigner cars and motorcycles whir and roar
\nLike a mammoth giant, as the man wobbles across.
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\nEvery zebra crossing made on this stretch of road is
\nAt the wrong place, pushing the walkers out of contention;
\nCommitment to the machines;
\nMen don’t matter;
\nIn the hurry which has now become the pace of life.
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\nTheir lives are miles apart;
\nOne doesn’t see beyond his convenience,
\nAnd the other watches from a distance these people speeding by
\nEveryday;
\nThe mind is too miles apart; one trapped in the misery of life,
\nAnd the other seemingly safe from that but not necessarily
\nDoing something understandable and good for all;
\nFor it is the duty of those who lead to find a way for all;
\nHow long can we remove ourselves from a real life
\nSituation where everyone will be happy; Yes, it is possible;
\nSee how the bell chimes, calling for attention.<\/p>\n\n