Love And Care Poem by Ajit Das

She had in her hut only one blanket
donated by a NGO last year.
She wrapped her two children with it
to keep them warm
in the bone-chilling cold night.
For her she had bare cotton cloth
to ward off the dark thickening,
freezing around her frail body.
A mismatch: she was found dead
in the wee hours of the morning.

Late in the day the civic body met
in the city municipal hall
Agenda: shelter for the homeless
living on the streets!
Proceedings had hardly begun,
pandemonium broke loose -
pretext: the National Anthem.
Chaos, slogans, counter slogans
drowned care for her homeless children
in the display of love for Mother India.