Pain To Politics
An ode to the millions of migrant workers across various states in India trapped in big cities, unable to go home because of the lockdown
Coronavirus in India:
Desperate migrant workers trapped in lockdown
They say that they care for us,
but only as long as we are not crying.
They say we are a part of their world,
but leave us alone when we are dying.
They say our lives are important,
but leave out the part where they mean
we are allowed to exist only as symbols —
metaphors to add meaning to the scene.
Mumbai: Police Lathi-charge Migrants
As Thousands Defy COVID-19 Lockdown,
Gather At Bandra Station
The scare of a global pandemic means nothing
to us, who work with blood, sweat, and bare hands.
For while it isolates them from their entertainment,
it keeps us away from our homes, our lands.
Those ten-minute news items on the TV
do their best to convert our pain to politics.
The Opposition cries that we’re spreading the virus
and the Police disperse us, beat us with sticks.
