Reading Time: 2 minutes
Ritambhara looks at the emptiness and void in the lives of the rich and pits it against the have-nots, in this verse, exclusively for Different Truths.
The homeless on the roads longing for the life of a rich
Little does he know, the problems the rich are facing
Little does he know, the sleepless nights he spends
He might seem to have all the worldly comforts one thinks of
He might seem to have everything at his disposal
But little does one know only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches
Aren’t we all privileged and unprivileged in some way or the other?
The little boy on the streets selling balloons is pitied by the passers-by,
Little does one know the sorrows of the boy in the swanky car,
He seems to be blessed with all the comforts of life
No one tries to decode the emptiness he feels
Aren’t we all privileged and unprivileged in some way or the other?
That lady next door, leaving her home in a chauffeur-driven car
She has servants to do all her work
She can buy all that exists in this world
Isn’t her life the perfect one?
Ah! This is the life we all want
Little do we know the turmoil in her life
Her plastic smile perfectly conceals her woes
But, her innocent eyes speak it all
Oh! This is not the perfect life I guess
Aren’t we all privileged and unprivileged in some way or the other?
That rich-old lady in her beautiful mansion seems to have led a perfect life
Little do we know, the hardships she faced
She is surrounded by caretakers
But, her eyes are looking for her children and grandchildren
She wants the company of those she loves, not the robots working for her
She wants someone to talk her heart out to
She has all the comforts, but no sleep in her eyes
Oh! This is not something she had expected in her twilight years
For her, privileged is the poor lady, who is attended by her family
Aren’t we all privileged and unprivileged in some way or the other?
“He” created us all equal
We all have our equal share of happiness and sorrows
Let’s not compare our life with others
What matters for us, may not matter for others
Be content with all that we have, and work hard to achieve all that we want
As we all are privileged and unprivileged in some way or the other.
©Ritambhara Kumari Upadhyay
Photos from the Internet
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Excellent.
Thanks for your appreciation ..
I agree with you Ritambhara, people from all walks of life are struggling with their internal conflicts besides their foes of the physical world. Awesome poem to reiterate the idea of not judging a book from it’s cover.
Very rightly said … . …thanks for your invaluable input…… ….
Excellent, try sometimes in hindi too 🙂
Thanks will try ……
Too good Bhabhi…
People now a days misunderstand privilege with power, similarly under privilege misunderstand it as oppressed.
Excellent poem Dear Didi…
Thanks for your appreciation Ashish…
Excellent…!! Ritambhara k upadhyay
Thanks Kavita.
Yes, true bhaiya……… Materialism overshadows everything else…
By placing opposite realities of the poor and rich, not literally but metaphorically, the poet shapes and directs us to a newer, alternative understanding of our present reality. Here the line of the privileged and underprivileged blurs. Great!
Thanks for your kind words…