Hunger
It was a cold winter's day, the wind howled
Sky missing hiding above, the dark clouds
that were pelting rain had revenge on mind
the cold, wet city was like a death-trap
for the aged and homeless with no place
to go and cover themselves with blanket
on a soft warm bed with double pillows
and a full stomach with warm homemade food
Roopsingh, an old man of eighty-odd years
was shivering under the scant covers
all day there were no passersby because
of the biting cold and incessant rain,
to give a few coppers or leftovers,
the hunger within him was growing as
his shivering did, he could hear the growls
his belly was making under protest
The wind had picked up driving the rain
onto the footpath where Roopsingh lay sprawled
drenched to the bone unable to protect
himself from the vagaries of nature
the shivering had increased and his teeth
were starting to chatter, not a whole lot
of them were left though with advancing age
breath passing through his missing teeth, whistling
A streak of lightning split the dark blinding
Roopsingh temporarily followed by
a loud thunderclap that shook the buildings
and rattled doors and windows to a fall
The deafening sound almost took his breath
away leaving an echo in his ears.
Roop's poor belly growled just as the wind howled
he moaned with guttural pain losing sense
Roop wondered how many have gone unfed
and how many have to bear the bitter
cold, he was still concerned about others
forgetting his own predicament of
gut-wrenching pain and cold body shivers
Morning papers carrying a small caption,
"Rain claims one more life on deadly footpath",
missed the point, Roop died of unfed hunger.
Hunger is a worldwide problem unsolved
Many die of hunger among the poor
The rich have enough food to eat and throw
away the rest with scant concern for the
needy and the poor, a dangerous trend
the habit of eating less and leaving
more on the plate must be condemned strictly
and awareness raised regarding the poor
Copyright © MB Farookh | Year Posted 2024
|