Snatched innocence, dust and grime <br />They have aged years ahead of time <br />To get some bread by hook or crook <br />Never saw a proper loo nor a bed nor book <br />Words to earn pennies were their nursery rhymes <br />Ready to be sodomized to earn a single dime <br />The footpaths or railway stations are their homes <br />They all suffer from the starvation syndrome <br />Eyes sunk in their sockets haunt you in sleep <br />Their dreams and desires hidden deep <br />Some forced to indulge in petty thefts <br />Some becoming pickpockets, their fingers deft <br />Sometimes you will catch them playing in the rain <br />Splashing in the puddle or playing cricket in the lane <br />Or doing a somersault dance, playing to a crowd <br />Coins thrown at them, they collect after having bowed <br />Gazing longingly at the privileged kids in their fancy clothes and cars <br />Snatched a gadget from them and spending nights behind bars <br />What crime did they do to be born so poor <br />Cursed with it, all their life they will endure<br /><br />Renu Rakheja a.k.a Tranquil Ocean<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-5-angst-the-street-urchin/
