Christmas Poem By Sunil Sharma

This Christmas, a different mission

This December 25th,
And beyond, friends dear—
Come with that poet of the people, over there,
Who is keen to walk the mean streets of the
Megapolis with golden castles, upscale
Neighbourhoods and commercial spaces,
Denied to the majority of the middle-class law-abiding honest citizens, having similar dreams of owning a bit of success—and cityscapes rising up vertically—and for those
workers living in the poor sections, run-down, dismal
Called slums by the patronizing elites;
The poet invites you—
— to walk with these invisible folks that make the city run on their underpaid labour and smiles,
Yes, the cooks, maids, drivers, cleaners—the entire army with similar human form,
Yet denied subjectivity and proper agency by the capital-guardians;
As an involved participant, not mere observer, this guy would
Distribute books, toys and sweets, donning the famous red hat, to the street children
Those standing and staring at the neon-lit windows of the malls with hungry eyes,
Afraid to enter such a stratosphere!
The wordsmith will also tell stories of hope and survival
To these young spirits, bound

—And tell them to soar in an equal sky
Among stars, moons and wind
And walk with dignity on the earth
That belongs to all the divine creatures
Of God!