CELEBRATE ME – A Poem (On Labour Day)

Hasnain Jilani

Celebrate me,
As I kneaded the clay of every brick
Of your mansions, though I was sick
And penniless with my kids famished
And my wife decorated your beds, blemished
Celebrate me,
As I ate hunger working in your pantries
And remained naked in the teeth of gentries
For generations, my labour earned you fame
And wealth, but got in return, humiliation and shame
Celebrate me,
As I fed your capital with my sweat and blood
Only I was killed in famine, epidemic and flood
I know my existence constructs your financial design
I know I can never rest, escape or resign