the dervish whirls

over the blue sea line
the sun rises
a yellow burning glob
day comes

across the dark blue of sparkling stars
the moon races
a shimmering white
at night

day, night
watches over
the clouded world
where
the muezzin calls for prayers
the tibetan horn drones
the hindu bells ring
the church bells toll
where
they sing the hymns
and the torah
and the bhajans
and the mantra

each
in awe
of the one heavens
of the one sun
of the one earth
of the one moon
and one One
who makes all
spin

the dervish whirls endlessly

they are the same

god loves all his children
be they
sunnis or shites
hindus or moslems
christians or jews
catholics or protestants
black or whites
gays or straights
brahmins or dalits
aristocrats or farmers
man or woman
city folks or gypsies

in his eyes
they are the same
they are equals
though we insist
on making it
otherwise

sunburned and drenched

huddled on the backs
of lorries and pick-up vans
they sit
cowed
under the burning sun
drenched when it pours

coming from the poor rural
in china and india
they flock here
doing hard work
building our towers
repairing our ships
sweeping our streetsc
cleaning our homes
caring for our kids
earning
for their kin back home

but
some of us
abuse them
scold them
beat them
make them slog unstop
with no rest day

losing
their rights
their respect
their dignity
at our hands

saving face

sitting across the straits
uncomfortably
the two chinas
both rattling their sabres
and mouths
each its own nation
one clamours to add on the other
saving
face
becomes more important
than
its people
welfare

elections time 2

It's elections time
New candidates
Come on board
Again

Each
Imposing his own religious values
To shape
To bias
His interactions
With the people
He represent

elections time 1

huddled in a corner
of her one room flat
munching some dry biscuits
with a glass of water

the morning light
Seeping through the window panes
shining
into a room bare
a lone mattress on the floor
a crickety fan
a light bulb dangling

last night
the election candidate came
knocking on her door
asking her
to vote for him
promising her
flat upgrading
if she does so

she worries
more
about her next meal
about getting more cartons to sell
she cares not
for the voting
for the elections
for the upgrading
she has no money
anyway

the elections come every four years
the candidates come every four years
inbetween
they leave her alone
they leave her lonely