She squats near the bus stand
Every day,
With her poor father nearby,
She was pleasant and happy
In her shabby and worn-out clothes.
But a feeling of helplessness
I could sense…
As she was watching me
Every day,
Unobtrusively, as I did,
She, once, smiled at me
When our eyes met;
And a feeling of sadness
I could sense.
The rich woman nearby
Too tried to smile at us,
But the richness of the poor woman’s
Smile could not be seen
In this pompous woman.
A feeling of pride,
I could sense in the poor woman.
What a contrast it was!
To fill the poor woman’s
Heart with richness, and
To pour all the richness
Out of the rich woman’s heart,
As if to remind us,
That life is full of contrasts…
