We dwell in the slums
Our huts by the gutters
God alone hears our mutters

Our homes face indefinite economic melt down
We strive to make ends meet
Still economy takes a back seat

The authorities try to eradicate our poverty,
with files a pile, 
and schemes futile.

A shaft of light brightens our lives
Once in five years, 
False promises reach our ears

We get carried away by the announced freebies 
And cast our votes in enthusiasm
Once again ‘they’ fail to bridge the chasm 

Our lives have been the pick of novelists and film makers,
in many of their ventures.
They earn so much depicting the poor

To be successful, Education is our only hope 
Our harbinger,
Our only elixir.