Slumdog Souvenir (India) Poem by Domenic Marbaniang

No man is a dog; nor a dog, a man -
One can only be treated so.
And yet these metaphors are bad –
Which I now intend to show.

There are dogs on street and dogs at home
So, a street man can’t be a dog,
For then would men at home also be dogs;
Though never Bull or Alsatian; for all are one.

A dog’s got no moral sense; a man has at least some.
And even if he had none,
The categorization is worse, and not less;
For, a dog’s still known for its faithfulness.

The street boy might become a millionaire,
And a millionaire, come to the street;
A shack is still a home to someone;
A cover from the heat, a rest for one’s feet.

A child still laughs in the slum
A baby still cries in the palace
An eye still awaits one more dawn
While one wishes the night would prolong.

The slums have their dogs; dogs of different breeds.
Some belong at home; some rover on the streets.
But slums and all settlements are known for their men, women, and children;
Though rich or poorer they be;
They are one of us;
And in God’s sight each is precious:
Each one still one in a million,
Each one still a millionaire.

Jesus said that as a man who found a precious gem sold everything in order to buy it, so is the Kingdom of God. That is why, Christ came into the world to save us from our sins. We are all still precious to God, though the world sees it differently.