I know a place where the Sun doesn’t shine,

Where kids rejoice and the adults whine,

Where Glacier of lies and rivers of deception intertwine,

Where they enrich the young with the money and the adults with wine,



The Ministers lie through their teeth and promise upliftment,

The poor are deceived and are fed more punishment.

They have no concept of Day or Night,

Anytime-Every time they struggle to fight,



The Kids exuberate innocence and liveliness

While

The Adults showcase fatigue and tiredness,

It’s been years since they’ve heard those promises

It’s been months since they’ve opt for progressiveness

‘Impoverished, Imperfect, Unimportant”, call them what you may,

But when you’ll see their  hungry eyes and tiring demeanor,

You’ll have nothing to say.



Their generations

And their generations,

Will keep living this way

Unless the bureaucracy decides to help them,



Their generations

And their generations,

Will keep on suffering

Unless those in power come to hold them,

Till then,

For Eons and Eons and Eons and Eons to come

They’ll keep on wanting,

They’ll keep on crying,

They’ll keep on living,

They’ll keep on surviving.

On the periphery of Delhi, I recollect as I was on a tour,
A boundary barred the rich metropolitan society and the hellish slums,
My eyes, they landed on a barefoot group of boys- four,
Hello! I called out, they immediately scattered and greeted me with a joyous smile.

Their leader was the smartest little man I've ever encountered,
Raju was his name- full of energy, life and joy
He took a liking towards my golden watch which was a bit tattered,
I gave it to him and I swear I've never seen a much happier boy

His friends congratulated him as it was the most luxurious thing in their inventory,
Poor kids- the state and class in which they were born was pure involuntary,
I asked him, What is your dream, Raju? What is it that you desire?
He smirked and said, A lifestyle, a job, some money is what I want to acquire.

I ponder, the things we call basic necessity are their basic tools of "survival",
The things we discard and waste are their means of revival,
What do we lack? The latest devices? A less comfortable bed?
Poor fellas don't even have a roof over their heads!

I ask him, Raju, what is it that you want to be?
He says, I want to be like our Saheb- successful and rich,
I ask him, How will you do that? His eyes squinched- so titch,
He was blank and clueless about how his torn destiny he could stitch!

In retrospect, I was blank too as to what was my purpose,
I realised that I had no visions as well, I was worthless,
I gazed upon their innocent wandering faces and made up my mind,
My dream was to be an educator and teach those whom I could find!

That day a conversation changed me forever,
It changed the way I thought and saw the world,
It changed me and with my old self, I rebelled,
That day, "The Vision of a gentleman" moved me,
It changed my carefree attitude, it improved me,
It changed "The old me", it constituted "The New me"

One lacks many things in community. 
Survives mostly with anxiety. 
Poverty is the word for that. 
To overcome it, education is a must. 
All should drink water without impurities.
 
Everybody should donate to charity. 
Then an amount can be spent with certainty. 
Employment gives a lot of trust. 
Fight Poverty
 
Free health care for all, without disparity Childwood nutrition care with equality
Should be taken care of with some trust. 
In a democracy, what should we entrust? 
Remove poverty with more clarity. 
Fight Poverty

I grew up believing
that because I was poor
I didn't deserve love.

Bullied for the smell
of my dad's cigarettes
on my clothes.

Bullied for the size
of my house
and that it had holes.

Told by someone who said they loved me
that I should stop dreaming about college
because my family could never afford it.

Then I met you

I hadn't let anyone
into my parents house
in years
(I was too embarrassed).

But I let you in.
I let you meet them.
I let you see the house I was raised in.

Stink, and all.
Mess, and all.
Holes, and all.

And you loved me anyways
I didn't need money to impress you
I didn't need to be anything that I am not
and never will be.

Because you love me
Holes and all.

The dark ocean flows over her scratched and calloused feet,
As she faces the black horizon: far from what I've seen.
But what she sees are the stars, and a distant ferry catching light;
The silver traces, all around us, will bring her solace for the evening's plight.

Calming: the aqua at her feet... but also the black liquid in one hand—
Of which poisons her knowingly; at times it's cruelty from a rich white man.
But the 'baby needs her bottle', she'd say; sleep would ask for 'zero *****'.
Normal is this: her lines drawn in the sand, of change, ebbed away by the flux.

The woman works hard, through traumas, to provide a life for she and her son,
And it's clear—to me, that life ******* her, in many more ways than one.
Abused by the very worst, and she's never experienced a 'home', she'd cry,
Whilst drunk inside her enabler's one, of which her rent's paid at some point in time.

But she's a 'normal' person: her good heart, art dreams, and brains led her to be seen,
And now, I know it would break me if she were one day swallowed by the sea.
Despite our bond's submergence, by hidden rocks, its specialness I'll keep in heart;
And those promises I've made, I'll follow, no matter how far we go apart...

I'll always be there for her, if ever sought for in a time of need.
There's a place to roost if ever she travels, most of which's perks are free.
I'll be a fully-fledged counsellor, helping those, like her, find their feet.
Lastly—of myself—I'll continue writing, for the joy and love it brings is deep.