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Pandemic Refugees

by Gayathri Devi Dutt
(Bengaluru, Karnataka, India)

A flight of humans marching back and forth across all roads
Serpentine length carrying merchandise of heavy loads
Where? where? the herd heading to? the sky and stars?

Yes the march is on under the sun and stars, twenty four hours
walkathon!
Work and wages dried up, transport shut down, leading to an
autochthon!
Leaving life, plugged their bodies to be charged with funds and food?

The caravan like a game board: kids on shoulders and arms, on the pavement too
Infants in baskets, joolies, clutching the breasts, sucking the empty bottles too
Women on bikes or foot, loaded with luggage, logged on to lockdown?

Masked or unmasked no one dared their proximity yet, touched the camera button by hand
Food or water, fruits or nuts sans trees for breeze just empty spaces like barren
land
Speeding vehicles creating a torpedo of dust and incapacitating the caravan

I do not see, I do not hear and I do not say anything but the pandemic Corona to blame!!!