CHILDREN

1. Cry

The child wanted a sari
And the hand of the mother
A touch enough
A smile to satisfy
A feel of the blood
And nothing else.

It cried and cried
The ayahs got angry
So many kids crying in unison.
Why can't the brats shut up?

The child finally slept in anger.

The mother came in evening
Oh, darling, my little one
Her unsaid words stayed on her face
Her fingers spoke of love
Her eyes massaged the wounded
Spirit of the angel in anger.

The little one was lost
In the folds of her sari.



2. Pressure


The bag was heavy with loads of knowledge
To be learnt in doses of many types and styles
The teacher wanted facts to stay in head forever
Amma wanted top grades to show off to her friends
Family needed reputations, status built in bricks.
Would I manage all this, minds wondered.
Jobs have to be got with good money back policies
Arts to be learnt to balance east and west.
Girls had to be girls at home and boys outside
Boys had to meet the west at close quarters
And remain their traditional selves unaffected
By any contamination and different colours.

Social ovens heating up genes, energy bottled
Minds ran wildly in unknown routes and ways
Breaking structures and methods with ease
To accommodate money and modernity.