Poetry: The Housemaid

Believe me or not, housemaids play a vital role in our lives. We cannot manage without them.

There are many shades to her personality, but deep down somewhere they do lead a tough life. They ought to deserve respect. This short poem will probably convey my thoughts for my Housemaid.

A day doesn’t go, when I don’t think of you.
Does that mean that I like you?
The sound of your footsteps makes me grin ear to ear.
That’s the sound I always wanna hear!
The clutter of vessels, the water from the tap,
Makes we wanna smile, dance and clap!
The faint disinfectant smell emanating from the floor,
Is enough for my toddler to dance and roar;
He shrieks in ecstasy on seeing you,
Does that mean that he likes you?
A frail body, a crumpled saree, hair tied in a bun,
Two biscuits start your day and you are good to run,
All day you work wiping the dust away from my house,
Wearing a torn saree and a torn blouse.
Seeing you work all day long I would pity you,
But Does that mean that I like you?
The stoic face, the nasal twang, the hair has a shade of gray,
It tells about the struggles of your life,what words can’t say.
Cleaning, washing, mopping all day makes your skin rough,
But it isn’t the reason that has made you tough.
Your hard work of day and night is neither appreciated nor loved
It’s the daily fights at home and you being scorned and shoved.
You return home every day to routine domestic violence,
My heart bleeds often to see why you still maintain silence?
To see a smile on your child’s face you work day and night,
Oh! what an irony of life is this, what a thing of plight.
But still I see you each day humming the latest song,
And then I realise my attitude towards life had all been so wrong!
Your little one with little needs is the happiest child I know,
And then I understand that happiness is a state of mind,you can’t borrow.
My old used clothes, as good as new,I often give you,
And then I begin to realize that why I like you.
It’s the time to be honest,it’s the time for revelations,
I look forward to see you daily for my mean reasons.
I liked you because of all my personal needs,
My home should we well maintained;that’s my only greed.
I never gave a second thought on how you make them feed,
It takes courage for you to make two ends meet.
This life which God has given us we often don’t value,
And this makes me realize now that why I care for you.
How did I fail to notice your so many virtues?
It’s high time now that God must settle all your dues.
Some things are not just felt but also better said,
So that’s the reason why I like my old housemaid..!

Smita Shukla

Hi folks! I am a dentist by profession with equal love and passion for reading

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