THE GIRL ON THE STREET
-
Neelam
Saxena (India)
I saw her
Peeping into the window of
my car
Begging…
My mind found it utterly
disgusting
It questioned
Why do people beg?
It wondered
Why people like her would
not work?
It queried
What makes the parents of
little kids
Send them for begging
In the streets?
In the midst of my probing
I looked at her again-
Almond shaped eyes
Dazzling like diamond
With a lot of purity,
simplicity and gullibility
Mingled with colours of
enthusiasm in them…
My heart went out to her
And I had just opened the
chain of my elite purse
When the driver turned the
keys of the car
And it moved forward
The traffic signal had
turned green…
I shouted at the driver
To stop the car
But
The screeching sounds of
the horns
Of cars behind
Made me push ahead…
Her vibrant and vivid face
Always stays in the corner
of my heart
And I often ponder
What was her folly
That she was not born into
a family
Which could pamper her
With expensive toys
Indulge her
With chocolates and
ice-creams
And send her
Into an exclusive school
For her education?
Is there no space
For such innocent and
naïve souls?
****