Real Independence - A Poem
Rinita is a creative writer, with focus on poetry. She delves into several forms including Haiku/Senryu, Sonnets, Free Verse, and Prose.
Background
As I write this, my country India is celebrating its 72nd Independence Day. Seventy-one years after the tricolor was first hoisted in 1947, this day has transformed into a mere Holiday for the country's privileged citizens. We celebrate it as a day of relaxation and enjoyment, and in doing so, we often undermine the contributions of the lesser privileged, who work hard for their daily bread each single day, with no Holidays, even if it is the day to celebrate Independence. Real independence is to be learned from them, who know that being able to work honestly and consistently, on any day, is the mark of being a true citizen of a free country. Jai Hind (Glory to India).
The Poem
“Tring”, the milkman rings the bell
At the crack of dawn, “It’s a Holiday,
Won’t you let me sleep?”, I ask
Says he, “I have another twenty to sell”
The daily newspaper arrives at my door
A slow breakfast, for its company
Afar, the delivery boy counts his cash
While I relish the news and more
The trash has no Holiday, so it seems
In no time, the housekeeping lady
Shows up at my doorstep, with a bin
Into it the trash goes, alongside her dreams
The maid is late, and I am irate
As I rebuke her, she defends,
“My children are performing, I had to attend
The beginning at least, at any rate”
I start up my car, towards the mall
Plans galore, to make it a grand Holiday
A day of pleasure, a day of fun
Freedom to celebrate, an order tall
Stuck at the traffic, a hospital I see
The doctor’s gone, except emergency
The nurse’s silhouette beside a patient
Toiling hard, so would fast recover he
At the mall, I get my nails done
By a pretty girl close to my age
She calls to another, “Take my shift,
Only I promised him I’d be free at One”
I return and park my car, my keys
I hand over to the cleaning guy
“My daughter won a trophy”, he beams
As he wipes the tires, down on his knees
The night falls, I curl under my blanket
Relaxed and ready to work the next day
I reflect on all those, who had to toil,
So I could spend a leisurely Holiday
Real Independence, is in their hands
Who work with honor, and honesty
Real contributors to the daily grain
Are the real people of my country
© 2018 Rinita Sen