The Privilege of Being Unprivileged | Teen Ink

The Privilege of Being Unprivileged

August 9, 2022
By alissac123 SILVER, Apex, North Carolina
alissac123 SILVER, Apex, North Carolina
9 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Auto cars ramming one another

Nooks and crannies of roads filled with plastic bags and straws

The brawny potency and odor of cow dung splashing on my face

Ponderous aluterate air filling my nostrils

Public Bathrooms reeking of unflushed waste

 

But wait

Whos that schoolgirl picking that riff raff

Shouldn't she be studying or playing with her friends

Shouldn't she have the right to a childhood

Instead she cleans her home of darkness and evil

She is the light and ambition to the world

She strives to succor her nation

But is deprived of happiness each step of the way


Stop shaming one for not born into such privilege as you

But hold forth those

Silky 

Soft

Nourished

Polished hands

To grab the 

Overworked

Brittle

Malnourished

Cracked hands


But those hands have seen

Pain

Labor

Numbing cold

Coal dust and

Blood

While the other hand has seen

Relief

Rest

Warmth

Moisture and

Water

Is it better to know the appalling side of the world

Or always shielded from it?


The author's comments:

Hi, my name is Amruta I. and I am currently a rising freshman and am 14 years old. My roots and heritage trace back to the small villages in South India, where my parents were born. As a Indian American teenager life has a lot of obstacles to offer to try and get me to give up on my culture, but whenever I feel that way poetry is who I go to. I release all my emotions into a poem and it is my way of coping with stress and all the feelings in me. I love that poetry is so diverse just like the world around us, and it allows us to express ourselves and create an impact. Besides writing poetry I also learn and perform Indian classical dance, also known as Bharatanatyam. I started learning Bharatanatyam at the tender age of 4 and it has grown to become a part of me. I am very passionate towards Indian classical dance as it's further connected me to my heritage.


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