We are the cursed boat people
They said we have snatched their jobs
And then, we were killed in a factory
before we could call them murderers.
~~
They outraged over jobs, onions, freedom
They said we were dying, with anger in their hearts,
fire in their voices …
We applauded, eyes moist,
“They stand up for us, our hungry bellies, our empty plates”
We had to die to know
Those were mere speeches.
Liars!
(C) Pallavi Singh, December 2019.
Photo credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/burn-cooking-delhi-india-906526/
#Labour #FactoryFire #MigrantLabourers
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