New Year Poem by Sayeed Abubakar

In the sun, in the rain
Without umbrella
A boy beside the road
Works ceaselessly from dawn to dusk
Breaking bricks into pieces.

He entertains into his two eyes a dream
Of merely three loaves of bread--
No rich dishes like korma and kabab,
No princely recipe on the table.

Nevertheless, he remains unfed
In the sun, in the rain beside the road
And pass his poisonous days.
O the rich, do you think of him once?

New Year sprinkles links of love
Into the hearts of all.
Collecting those links, you, the rich,
Fill up your hands and eat up to your marks
All the things you like best.
Tell me, why does that boy remain this very day
Helplessly unable to feed himself
With a single handful of plain rice?