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Transitions: arts expressed



Transitions

The Pune streets are paved with folk

Living and dying for all the world to see

Giving the world energyLighting it up with their youthful smiles

Happiness in the mire

Heaven in our perceived hell

Enriching life with the colour of saris and flowers

The scent of sandal wood and other things

A mass of humanity pulsating through the streets

All bustling together through the days and nights

`Please come for dinner in our home!'

A stranger is never one for long

Always welcomed and warmed by their generosity

You are never alone.

`You'll be a changed girl', they said

My values seemed quite fine to me

But seeing there was a life more real

More vital where the worries were

Not `what shall I wear?'

But `will I eat tonight?

Does anybody care if I die here in the street,

Old and bony, dignity stripped bare?'

And yet a freedom to the people there

A call to simply live the life

Rules and paperwork are unknown to those

In their simple huts beside the streets

`I cannot hope for more than this

This is my destiny, so shall I live in peace.'

In simplicity there lies a depth

I cannot find here easily

Achievement seems our only goal

There must be more to make one whole

How have we lost our dignity?

We may have choice, we may be free

But folk are lost and purposeless

The quest for pleasure our only perceived happiness

No deep spirituality pervades our lives

Unselfconscious and exuberant in expression

With festivals to bring the tired bodies back to life

Framing life with significance and purpose.

The Bangor1 streets seem quieter now

The odd person hurries past

His expression is closed, stressed and grey

Unsure if life is worth living

On this cold and blustery winter's day

Where the nearest hint of life

Is seen on the TV

Our quest for space and privacy

Closing us off from each other's lives

We no longer need each other to survive.

1Bangor is a provincial seaside town in Northern Ireland


Last update: 2000-02-12 20:14:06 (EEST).
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