A Leper Poem by asma bahrainwala

A Leper

Rating: 5.0


What a bright day!
After too long,
It has been this way.

Look! Here she comes
Dressed in all her finery;
Bedecked with jewels.

Her rags are no less
Than fine silk gauze;
Her bandages— Ah, what precious accessories!

The moment she appears,
She creates quite a stir
Like ripples on still water.

Proudly she walks,
Exchanging pleasantries
Extending her paws for some money.

She smiles when she gets a dime;
Her nose-holes now visible.
Look! How striking!

Her toes— some crooked, about to dropp off;
Some already gone—
Look! How intriguing!

Yet she glides gracefully down the lane,
Stopping by to greet everyone on her way;
Humbly pleading for some charity.

Is she some royalty?
A daughter, a wife, a mother
Ostracized because of leprosy?

As she approaches me,
I can’t help but wonder
Can fate be this cruel to anybody?

21st October 2006
12.24 pm

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Reuben Matthew 06 November 2006

a very radiant description of the grim life of a leper. a well-written poem. Reuben.

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Shivapriya Surve 19 November 2006

The contrast and the subtle pathos touches the soul. What a brilliant poem!

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Onida 22 November 2006

WOW! ! a gr8 poem.the picture is all so true along with those feelings! ! yours, Nida

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Melvina Germain 03 December 2006

Yes, quite a grim existence, sounds though that the lady is trying to make the best of by walking in a proud manner. The solitude of Lepers would be grim to say the least.---Excellent poem Asma---

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Raghavan Warrier 08 December 2006

The picturization is so good that you feel as if she is there in front of you. In India I found many lepers consider their disfigurement as a blessing in disguise as it brings in some money for their survival.

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Srujini M 28 January 2009

yes, the sight of a lepor always makes one reflect on the cruel hands of destiny, humanity at its most debased form is the sight of a lepor who is ostracised by society and unfortunately by his own family members many a times.you have rightly observed this in this sensitive poem.you have given an extremely humane approach to the patient.

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Melvina Germain 25 August 2007

I see this woman walking with grace for in her heart she's full of God's love. She lives with her disability knowing what she has to do in order to survive while here on this earth. The good news is, this disease won't last forever, there'll come a day when it will be all washed away, a day when she can finally close the door here on earth and take her walks along the path of glory. Excellent write Asma, the imagry was impecable. You are a wonderful writer and you wrote this very realistic poem with feeling and compassion. I could feel it coming through. --Melvina--

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Rajaram Ramachandran 26 April 2007

I shed a tear for her after reading this poem. What a cursed disease this leprosy is?

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Peter A. Crowther 16 December 2006

Great descriptive writing: you can almost see this woman gliding gracefully along, the beauty of her spirit transcending her disability

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Abdul Sattar 09 December 2006

Look here she comes Dressed in.... The fascination increases with the lines. A stream of of ideas. Good poem

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