Church Street's Intergalactic Trade – Delhi Poetry Slam

Church Street's Intergalactic Trade

BY SUBHASH SUNDARAVADIVELU

Today on Church Street
Young boys and girls
Walked on cobblestone
Colourful clothes but browned
Torn here and there.
They arrived everyday
In a space chariot
From a different galaxy
Which we would never know
But we have heard
It's different from here.

Those space-farers
With roses in one hand
The other outstretched
Bunch of coins bounced
In those tiny palms
They ran and raised the
Roses to women
And men of earth.
“Buy a rose for 10 rupees”

Their intergalactic trade
For food, water, and shelter
On their planet.
Their eyes reflected,
A growl from the stomach
Sometimes they would use,
Their human hands,
To hold, tug at people,
Of this galaxy.
“Please one rose, one rose.”

But the spacelings were always,
Shrugged and pushed off,
Looked over, but never at,
Listened to, but not heard.
Still, they stood, and ran,
Watched and gauged,
Waiting for roses to be sold.
"Buy one rose for the pretty lady."

Their shift was over,
Once the earthlings left,
The space shuttle would arrive,
To pick up rose traders,
Their wilting roses,
Coins and paper notes,
Some food and water,
And tales of the Church Street,
Tales, these space merchants,
Would one day,
Tell to their children,
Once they are old enough,
To sell roses on Church Street.


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