We spent three very full days in Mumbai recently. We spent one afternoon walking through a very large slum. It was an eye-opening and sobering experience. Here are some thoughts I jotted down as we left on the tour bus.
Smiling children
blowing kisses, shouting "Hi!"
Running barefoot over ground littered with
piles of garbage
razor blades, shard of glass
goat hides from animals slaughtered for a religious festival
Barbie doll legs, flower petals
shed from altar wreaths
Can you even take it in?
Is it awful?
Are the children charming?
Is it depressing?
Surprising?
Numbing?
Encouraging to see how people survive when provisions are so meager?
At this moment
I can't decide
Whether to let loose the tears that
well up even as I write
or simply smile and wave
at the still-smiling children
outside the tour bus window.
Smiling children
blowing kisses, shouting "Hi!"
Running barefoot over ground littered with
piles of garbage
razor blades, shard of glass
goat hides from animals slaughtered for a religious festival
Barbie doll legs, flower petals
shed from altar wreaths
Can you even take it in?
Is it awful?
Are the children charming?
Is it depressing?
Surprising?
Numbing?
Encouraging to see how people survive when provisions are so meager?
At this moment
I can't decide
Whether to let loose the tears that
well up even as I write
or simply smile and wave
at the still-smiling children
outside the tour bus window.
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