Filthy gutters lining a dirty street,
in anguish, mutter many a pained feet.
In a landfill nearby,
overflowing with the entire city’s waste;
rubbish pies in shallow pits,
on them, many a fly sits…
A breeding ground for mosquito and mice,
rats and roaches in every crevice-
they’re the ones that find it nice.
A passer-by, a disgusted face,
frantically quickens his pace
while making his way
to the temple, that ahead lays.
Standing tall, mighty and beautiful,
giving off an aura, oh, so wonderful.
Smell of flowers hanging in the air,
and the marble floor, shockingly bare-
untouched by filth, no sign of litter,
so spick and span, it might almost glitter…
Scurrying feet-a joyful pitter-patter,
happy faces in an awed daze.
Purity sheathed the temple in a haze…
Godliness and cleanliness, hand in hand…
If cleanliness is next to Godliness,
why is the path to Godliness
almost invisible, buried in dirt?
Oh! The irony,
of mankind and his tyranny…
About the poet: Krishnapriya Ramanathan is a 2nd year MBBS student at Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore.
Be the first to comment