Catching The Mumbai Train Poem by Sheena Blackhall

Mumbai's a giant Mogul. At night it never sleeps
In shanty towns rat armies, through tin can houses creep
Towerblocks soar to the Heavens
from the dung of garbage heaps

Shakti crossed the line for the ten minute walk for water
Aged seven, a flower seller's daughter
Death was instant and messy. The goddess Kali caught her.

Ramesh the shack dweller begged at the railway junction
Polio stole his future, fresh air was his luncheon
On the wrong side of the tracks,
killed running from a truncheon

Neeja went off the rails to avoid the moneylender
Just one more suicide stat... a small time spender

Jagdeep was sixty-one when he fell from the train
He slipped to the open sewer
He drowned in the rain

Durga ran out of steam at Divali
Tired of harvesting plastic tossed rupee
Glue-sniffing she walked in front of the 6.03

Santosh climbed on the roof. No fares up there
Lost his head to the wire that crossed the air
On the mortuary slab, he'd nothing to declare.

Mumbai's a giant Mogul. At night it never sleeps
In shanty towns rat armies, through tin can houses creep
Towerblocks soar to the Heavens
from the dung of garbage heaps