She sits down, weary; heart,
already, gnarled. A day, outside,
under the heat of the sun--
against the hostile stares,
of passersby and relentless
traffic aides; the everyday pursuit,
of a few coins, to buy daily
sustenance. With her withered
smile and yielding demeanor,
she tries to cajole passing
youngsters--office yuppies, with
their corporate coats, roguish skirts,
and barely-there make ups--
to partake of her paltry offerings:
candies, cigarettes, and stories.
Then, she comes home, to her
children: demanding her of food
--thin tummies, left starving, the
whole day; while she goes out,
to work. Her, forgetting her own
hunger; just to keep her children,
alive. And, her grandkids.
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