‘Spoilt’ some called me
Since I was pampered by all
As a kid of five
I was chubby, fat and small
One day mum packed my clothes
Said something about ‘vacation’
I grabbed my teddy in my hand
And moved towards the station
A huge light hung from the ceiling
Mum called it a chandelier
And as I stared in awe and amazement
I dropped my teddy bear
A girl peeped out of the corner
Her eyes fixed on my toy
To her my brown stuffed animal
Seemed like a bundle of joy
I approached her with a smile
With the teddy I was to lend
And she smiled right back at me
She called me her friend!
She was a child labourer there
So I offered her my things
After all, I had plenty
Of those frocks, bows and rings
She smiled with her broken teeth
And to my very surprise
Said that possessions like these
Were a bunch of golden lies
For her true happiness
Was to eat leftover cake
To swing in the playground when no one was looking
To catch butterflies near the lake
Restaurant duties were her favourite
Because sometimes she danced along
When the singer ‘babu’ on the stage
Sang her favourite song
She said her name was Pinki
But that just didn’t seem right
Pink wasn’t present in her fate
Oh, such a sorry plight!
Her eyes sparkled
As she talked about her dreamland
And that is when I saw
The whip mark on her hand
Bruises on her face
Told me she gets beat
And cuts by broken glass
Had pierced her feet
Her smile suddenly faded
Her gaze shifted to the ground
And without uttering a word
She quietly turned around
I watched as she walked away
Till I could see her no more
But she left behind some thoughts
And my teddy on the floor
That day the snow melted
Both inside and out
That day I finally realized
What childhood is all about
