Behind The Veil of Pain

By GR Madhukar

Not every dance is born of love or cheer,

sometimes it hides the wounds of silent pain,

a weary smile, a face masked in veneer,

bear witness to a life bound by a chain.

No child would beg if fate had been more kind,

It’s hunger’s voice that drives their helpless plea,

a little girl walks ropes with fear in mind,

forced by the weight of cruel poverty.

A woman sells her soul to feed her kin,

not by her choice, but life had left no door,

If hope could bloom, she would leave that would of sin,

and tend to the soil, her dignity restored.

So, judge not those whose paths you cannot see,

for every scar holds, untold misery.

By GR Madhukar