Dharavi
Bell and bulb
gong and beam
resonance and dazzle….
awakening
summoning
illuminating….
up-down and all around
cramp sweat within
pulsing rhythmic throb
of city within a city
feverishly buzz working
to keep them both alive…..
You pass us by
In distance drift
dismissively you wonder
Who we are and how
In such sorry state we live
Hesitant curious glances
With shrug or shudder
for what lurks beyond
the dirt dark dank
of cluttered crowded maze.
Asia’s largest slum you think
And thank god you have else
You pass us by in distance drift
Dismissively you wonder….
We go about our own hard days
And eke our daily living
By toil and grimy sweat
We make our dreams come true
We see you as you pass us by
In smug sheltered comfort glare
dismissively we get back to life
in turn we wonder about you…