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The Privilege of Being Unprivileged
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?
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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.