The Bundle of Joy

there were bars
on the window
the child's innocent eyes
reflected the moon

mirrored
it exploded with lights
his grip tightened
bloody fingers

a single tear
dripped from his eye
a sniffle
salty it hit the bare ground

the child shivered
it was a cold night
he lay down
tormented by the memory

of the day
the one meal
the dark, damp wearhouse
nimble bleeding fingers

wrapping the paper
around gunpowder
inserting the fuse
and putting the firecracker

in a box
out beyond his windows
they celebrate
the festival of lights

even as he lays
in the dark
unable to afford
the bundle of joy

that was his creation


Background: Child Laborers are used to manufacture firecrackers during Diwali (Hindu version of Christmas). This poem is about them