A Rag Picker Poem by Tulsi Shrestha

A Rag Picker
An entity searching meaning of life in trash.
Struggles for his survival, segregating garbage
In dustbins, bus parks and under bridges
Worthy for recycling and profitable for kawadi.
Although he contributes in waste management
He is stigmatised, treated as begger, scavenger.
From early morning to evening, he always remains
Exposed to pathogenic & harmful substance.
Still he is extremely poor and illiterate.
When he notices plastic bottles in street
His eyes glitters as if he found
A bag full of millions dollars
How content he is, you see
No dream is there, to fetch him.
Stray dogs feel comfortable to bark him.
One meal a day, is enough for him
Alone like Jupiter, in crowd
He doesn't know about his own origin.
Dad and mom, who they are, where they are.
Unknown mystery of street boy as a Rag Picker.
Innate identity of slum area, never awarded for
His contribution in cleaning and removing
A considerable portion of waste created by society.
An untold story of an eco-friendly identity.

Composed by Tulsi Shrestha
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