Children
are angels
Blessings
from His Highness
Born
to be guarded with vigour
Against
fangs and hawks.
I
hear that’s what the clergy says
On
that Holy day.
But
how many times
Have
I been clubbed by the city askaris
For
being in the heart of a holy city?
Aren’t we children
Just
as yours?
Children
are angels
You
will have sleepless nights
Out
of quarrels and abuses
From
your mother-in-law
If
you fail to give your husband children.
I
hear that’s what a mother
Tells
her daughter
On
her wedding day.
But
how many times
Have
I met lifeless bloody foetus
As
I scratch on the garbage bins
For
my breakfast?
Aren’t
they children
Just
like yours?
Children
are angels
Granted
by His Highness
As
a blessing to those who serve Him
Don’t
cry darling
For
we shall have another.
I
hear that’s how a husband consoles
His
wife after their child’s burial.
But
how many times
Have
I watched my family members
And
friends
With
whom I fight in the streets
For
garbage
Hit
by speeding cars
Left
breathless
And
never to be seen again?
Aren’t
they children
Just
like your own?
Children
are angels
Blessed
and adorable
Must
be clothed and fed
So
they don’t become thieves
But
How
many times have I begged
Foe
water or a coin
And
you turn away
Holding
onto your pockets tightly?
Ain’t
I a child?
I
hear you celebrate their birthdays
I
hear you pay for their fun days
And
pick them for holydays.
But
here I am
With
no memory of birth
Nor
meaning of fun.
I
am only held by hope
That
the day breaks tomorrow
For
another route in the city.
