Pearl Poem by Bharat Mehru

A dream to be an actress
was there in your
beautiful eyes
You tried hard to
assure film -makers
about your talent,
You tried hard at many doors,
you tried for many days
and many seasons
No one heeded,
No one cared,
No one believed,
in you, in your talent
No camera had taken you
into it's frame
No arc light had
brighten your face
No make -up was anointed
on you cheeks

Now,
look Pearl! !
there the cameras are on
focusing right on you
mics are on
for sensing stories about you
and make -up is ready

But,
dear Pearl,
these cameras are
just gazing your corpse
these mics are recording
false stories
of your life,
Pancakes are
not needed any more
As make -up is already
done by
this hard- ruthless
Mumbai ground...

[The poem is about an aspiring actress named Pearl Punjabi who committed suicide by jumping off a building in Mumbai recently ]