What a bright day!
After too long,
It has been this way.
Look! Here she comes
Dressed in all her finery;
Bedecked with jewels.
Her rags are no less
Than fine silk gauze;
Her bandages— Ah, what precious accessories!
The moment she appears,
She creates quite a stir
Like ripples on still water.
Proudly she walks,
Exchanging pleasantries
Extending her paws for some money.
She smiles when she gets a dime;
Her nose-holes now visible.
Look! How striking!
Her toes— some crooked, about to dropp off;
Some already gone—
Look! How intriguing!
Yet she glides gracefully down the lane,
Stopping by to greet everyone on her way;
Humbly pleading for some charity.
Is she some royalty?
A daughter, a wife, a mother
Ostracized because of leprosy?
As she approaches me,
I can’t help but wonder
Can fate be this cruel to anybody?
21st October 2006
12.24 pm
asma bahrainwala
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-leper/
