Triplicane Diwali Poem by Leslie Xavier

A tree of light, price a day's lunch,
brightens up his world.
A flicker among the million sparks,
but it's his Diwali on the streets,
the busy and bustling Triplicane,
his roof the stellar sky.

The bursts worth millions
- his laughter not the crackers.
Forgotten his days in burning sun,
or the pending nights in the rain.
This day he has fire in him,
and power to make his sister smile.

The deafening roll of drums,
a rich man's show of might.
Hey boy! What's yours now?
This street and a good night's sleep,
with dreams of a brand new day,
and hopes of a life all bright.

(On the Diwali celebration of a boy who lives with his family on the streets of Triplicane, Chennai. He may not have a roof of his own, but the festival of lights was a day when he forgot everything and just laughed and played and made his kid sister smile. A million dollar smile, which probably cost him his lunch - the price of his firecrackers.)