Sunday, July 05, 2009

A dog's life.

Read this. And then this . Then marvel at the availability of Rs 1600 crores (1 crore = 10 million) available for the mollycoddling (The Bandra Worli Sea link) of the automobile lobby. And the pseudo-urgency of erecting statues in the ocean (at a similar cost), in honour of a king , who would have been aghast at the skewed priorities of the Powers-that-be today. When so many other things cry out for help.



Some are dogs,
Some live that life,
Both watched by those,
Drunk on Power...

Some led by chains,
Promenading,
Inhaling, as the ozone
masks the evicted,
undigested, documented
droppings.
Stiff rules now,
Drop and Pick up,
And the chained ones,
wag their coiffured tails,
and smile,
wondering about
The Powerful,
The Shameless Ones.

Far elsewhere,
chained by the have-nots
but chased by life,
She ventures in the dark
of an eerie dawn,
others alongside,
tumbler in hand,
seeking a place;
Eyes darting,
Seeking relief somewhere,
Not
an airy promenade,
but wild growth,
Fear creeping around,
beside a station wall.

Yet,
again and again
drunk with power,
They provide for actual dogs,
and ignore
those unfortunate ones,
treated as some...


13 comments:

  1. "Some are dogs,
    Some live that life,
    Both watched by those,
    Drunk on Power..."

    Phew. those were some powerful lines !

    And yes, thats how the 1600 crores have gone into the sea. And then ofcourse, you have some bridges that are yet to be built. Because they would obscure the visibility of the statue thats coming up for the Raja !

    And you wonder if every dark cloud has a silver lining.

    Your poems are not only rocking but also...really finding their targets pretty well !

    lovely !

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  2. Its horrific.Six million people? And puppy poop is the priority? Have you been to the slums?

    Wouldnt it be great to do something as bloggers to assist in some way? Its the sheer numbers, like Mexico that must seem overwhelming. But the divide between rich and poor seems to grow wider.

    I always think about when I lived in Los Angeles for a while. I had never sen homelessness because I came from a small country town. Everyone was sort of lower middleclass. I was shocked to see mansions on one block and people lying in the gutters and living out of cars in the next.

    I do not have the answers. But basic rights, sheesh.

    Great poem too!

    I would like to see for myself one day. I think it would be the biggest shock to my system but maybe thats what people need to see.

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  3. As Kavi said- powerful lines!

    The sad thing is- even if these projects requiring great cost and dubious advantages were cancelled, it is doubtful whether the surplus funds would be used to improve the lives of the underprivileged. This will never be a priority for the rich and powerful...

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  4. A beautiful poem. I read your last entry also, so I could better understand.
    This happens in the US also (everywhere?), it is heartbreaking.
    "The unfortunate ones"--they are easy to ignore because they have no voice in this world.

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  5. As Kavi said...powerful lines indeed...and so full of seething anger!
    Just today I was thinking...in a country where a huge % of people are earning barely Rs.20/- a day, cars worth Rs.60L are being launched and bought too....the divide & disparity is increasing....

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  6. It is depressing that nothing really changes. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It has been ever thus.

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  7. Not every dog has its day, only the ones drunk on power, it seems.

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  8. things change ever so slowly... !!

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  9. OMG, this is horrible. Conditions like this should not be real in this day and age. How can people care SO LITTLE about those with BASIC NEEDS not being met! I'm livid about this.

    Indeed, you ended this poem well, that some people are treated worse than dogs. It's criminal.

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  10. I remember one of our household help telling me jokingly but wistfully that in his next birth, he wanted to be reborn as a dog in a rich man's house..he would then get to eat chicken everyday and sleep whenever he wanted to!

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  11. How sad that life goes on and this type of situation remains day after day. I worked with homeless people for years. I don't know if it will ever change. It only seems to grow worse instead of better.

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  12. Powerful lines indicating a powerful mind!But you think anyone cares?I don't mean people like you and me.I refer to those who can make a difference.

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