Can we ever do enough?
Nandini Chakrabarti
Can we ever do enough,
when you see a woman with a child,
dying to live a little each day,
sans food and a breath of fresh air,
you step down from the comfort of four wheels,
to reckon your privilege that holds you higher than the ground,
you do not feel the heat,
of the scorching sun beneath your feet,
the privilege of crimson leather hugs you from underneath,
you think a little money out of the wallet would help,
a little smidgen into her crusted hands,
a grandeur of what the world would praise of your kind soul,
but is it enough?
will the child be allowed to rest next to yours in his wooden cot?
will the child share the same table at your kid’s lunchtime?
for you know that you wouldn’t share a meal,
just leftovers as the world wouldn’t see,
fear of e-coli, salmonella, and every other name you recall from your heavy textbooks,
perhaps if textbooks could help lives instead of belittling them,
the true essence of humanity would be unappalled,
but the question stands still,
can we ever do enough?
or bow down to the unfairness of everything.
Nandini Chakrabarti is a writer and poet. She believes strongly in the art and power of storytelling. Nandini has co-authored multiple poetry and short-story anthologies, and is currently working on her debut novel. Nandini is an empath, bearing a passion for films, communication studies, chess, understanding the complexities of being a human and creating an equal ground for children.
Thank you for taking time out to read my story/poetry. You can find me on other socials like twitter, linkedin and instagram.
