parched baren fields hug
scorched dusty village of penury landscape
straddled between supposed national road
ramshackle mud hut stands detached
equally dilapidated huts fragment

crude rusty door squeakily opened
old grandma come forth
stooped the posture
wobbled the walk
rain deprived tree the refuge against sweltering heat

wind haul loose plastic bags around with wild abandon
empty bowl enticingly rolled
past hungry animated crawling toddler
ushering object illusionary windfall apparently

sunken vague eyes locked,
in tandem with fragile limbs
hot on the heels of Dancing bowl

hand too feeble to swath pestering flies outstretched
prospect of a meal within reach
skiny invigorated arm overreaches

course of trajectory swayed
container swerved off course
inverts then flipped
tiny hands trips progress!
  "you have won the hunger race"
   "welcome to the starting point"
    congratulatory cheers!
    the world applauded!

fingers investigatively scratched alluring fruity decor surface
pleasing patterns presented in empty bowl
by deceptive sight seeking vindication
from the high court of flabby tongue
hosting unwavering snitch of a taste bud negating beguilement of sadistic bowl
flower not a food was the verdict

fling of frustration ensued as
speechless toddler hurl empty vowels
thrashing rage pulverised the bowl
against the hard earth by emaciated arm
soliciting the attention of a heedless grandma
unflinched by familiar outburst unworthy of consoling response

light at the end of tunnel
when familiar figure heave in sight
dust sprayed face of a sisterly love expressed foreign smile

baby hastily locomotes towards receptive
soothing lullaby
cuddlle with sibling's affection
rhyming lung of a learner sister reads
the lyrics of the day
  
" pad meet rag equals
  foreign meet local
  like souvenirs for a vote
  when representative of women
  presents sanitary pads today

bloodless girls plenty in the land
where babies refuse to sleep and
watch the world orbit around

where empty bowl prank a child    
who blames the bowl
that blame the ***
that blame grainless granaries
the opulence of the governor's office
where fragrance swirls ends
the lullaby of blame game
and the the prank of the dancing bowl"

    by sadik sheikh