MOON LIKE A ROLLED- OUT <br /> BREAD <br /> <br />In a country devastated by famine and pestilence, <br />And children dying of malnutrition every <br />day! <br />When an Ethiopean gazed up at the sky at <br />night, <br />And beholds the full moon before his sight, - <br />No romantic thoughts ever come his way! <br />In a land of hunger, only hard prose <br /> prevail! <br />When poetry and verse loses its sanity, <br />And only hard prose protrude like the ribs, - <br />From half- naked and starved humanity! <br />He tried to sing to forget his hunger, <br />But words failed to flow from those parched <br />lips any longer! <br />And his soul hung on to his body for dear <br />life, <br />Perhaps death could only give respite! <br /> <br />The full moon looked like a rolled- out <br />bread! <br />And if only a small crumb could break <br />and fall, <br />Perhaps it would be enough tonight, - <br />to feed them all! <br />And if by some miracle of fate, <br />The hungry millions of this earth, <br />Could lay their hands on that entire bread, <br />Before the arrival of any relief van, <br />They will surely gobble it up as soon as <br />they can; <br />Such are the torments of hunger pang! <br /> <br />Yet the full moon did shine brightly tonight, <br />As the Ethiopean gently closed his eyes, <br />God willing, and if his luck holds, <br />He may survive this one more night! <br /> <br /> -Raj Nandy <br /> New Delhi <br /> 27 Feb 08 <br />(Poem is dedicated to Sathyanaryana ji)<br /><br />RAJ NANDY<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/moon-like-a-rolled-out-bread/
