Penuriously impeccable



His mother peering through a broken stained window, pondering what time he’ll be back. Her heart restless on a daily basis, awaiting in eagerness in her tiny but humble shack.

Staggering through the creaking makeshift door, tired, hungry, the little eyes portentously gloar. His cracked, tiny filthy bare feet, reminiscent of struggles, once again make their greet.

Thusly in essence, an acclimated appearance of ragged clothes tarnished in heaps of dankly stains.
To glance again, a sight full of scantily surrounding, for nothing more could a heart content other than pains.

Their wondering eyes meet, his mother giving him the glare of hope, her optimism now in full swing simply lingers. He crouches to empty his oversized torn woven sack of his accomplishments. Proudly relaying assurance to her with his gaze, he rummages through them with his little cold, bare and dirt ridden fingers.

They peek at them in tandem. In anticipation for no lesser grievance, thus already present in their destitute life, so cruelly intense, bestowed upon them. Swallowing a heavily burdened lump, she tactically keeps her emotions at bay. How can one keep incessant this life of pauperism is what she’ll beg for answers, later in pray.

She takes over to sift through the rubbish after observing his tiny hands bearing new blisters.
Alas! they share a sigh of relief in delight as she holds up a metal broken watch, a spoon and a bent lantern too. Knowing at last it’ll bring them some rations once it had been weighed and notched in careful view.

They await in foretaste for the loud daily chantings of the metal merchant. Soon he arrives, with a mindset ridden of his unfair intentions. Innocently, mother and son present their precious haul and in politeness greet him full of promising expressions.

The mother now in vain gesturing to him a plea bargain that surely these must be worthy of more?He waves his arm erratically in response denying her exclamations. Her sad weepy gaze lowers to her hands to a feel of beggarly status. Her young precious’s little hand reaching out to her cheek to wipe away the tears of despair, reassuring her that it’s ok, at least we get to eat, therefore another day of gratis.

Discerning a notion of necessitous and penurious, she looks at him intently. Breaking the bread in quarter and handing him the rest. His eyes impoverished from lack of sleep and nourishment, they show a sign of consolation, that finally the day has come as they share their meal…maybe in meagre, but alas! a banquet to them it seemed.

His poor mother lets him finish off her plate knowing full well he’ll be out till late on another journey reconvened. This time he roams his vicinity of nearby shabby shacks, going into neighbouring bins to collect any consumable scraps.

Laid together on the floor of their impecunious ambience, she strokes her fingers through his hair, reciting prayers and forgiveness in the name of His Almighty. Thanking him for their existence, oblivious to the indigent, needy poverty-stricken  condition, for it mattered no more as they’d struggled so many years, all so so far. Strongly willed they’d abide by all laws, knowing that God above them would refrain them from all their guiltless falls.

Woken up by a silent call, the little boy would wash and eat that he’d gathered overnight, then pray & ask for strength, just to keep the momentum going on another fast. His hands risen up, silently pleads that God bless’s him and his mother and all those effected too by such a plight that He brought them peace, energy, no illness and most of all some kind of food at all times in sight, Amen.

His sack hanging off his side, he waves his mother goodbye and starts another day before sunrise. She commences her daily chores and relaxes in peace reading a tattered Holy Book. Then back to the broken stained window as the sun sets in, she leans her head against a peering crack in silence and not an utter of sound.

Once again, sitting in earnest expectation, she awaits anxiously for her beloved 7 year old son. To return back from the only dangerous but essential means prevailing, sacred dumping ground

About this poem

This is a real life experience. A few decades ago, in a remote village in Gambia, I cam across a mother & child residing in a makeshift shabby wooden cabin. I was so taken aback that I bought them some provisions to get on by for the following few weeks. I continued to visit the frequently in the duration of my visit to the country & listened to them & other neighbouring habitants intently of how they were getting by dealing with their current status, trying their utter best in order to feed their children before themselves. Their current situations bled my heart non stop & my tears fell down continuously, hence the reason I had to outcry their impoverished state. It was therefore, their sorrowful predicaments which inspired me to initiate poetry as a way to state their indigent circumstances. 

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Submitted by yasmeen69ali.org.co.uk on April 28, 2023

3:41 min read
44

Quick analysis:

Scheme X X AA B X BX X X X X X X C C
Characters 4,182
Words 738
Stanzas 14
Stanza Lengths 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1

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