When I read a tribute to
a 53-year-old colleague who lost her life 2 days after her husband's,
When my cousin lamented
being unable to meet his mum, not knowing when, and if, he ever would,
When my friend lost her dad
a day after she reached out to me for help to find him oxygen, and caregivers,
When I saw a 65-year-old
gingerly cradling an empty oxygen cylinder as she walked swiftly away from an ICU, her fear writ in her gait.
Today I cried.
That day I cried,
When I realised, India’s steep climb of cases would mean I would miss my niece's wedding,
When 1.3million people decided to dip themselves in the divine nectar of immortality while condemning 100s to a breathless lonely death,
When rallies garnered
support from the people whose health, livelihood and life meant less than
the paper on which they vote,
When the injustice to
millions of children forced to learn online for 14 months is balanced by adults unwilling to campaign online for a fraction of the time,
When I saw the plight of
millions of migrants walk 1000s of kilometres home, abandoned by those who should uphold their rights and welfare,
That day I cried.
I cry for
The daily wage earner who
begs for money from our homes, to feed her children,
The household helper, who
can't visit his dying mother, to hold her hand one last time,
The helplessness, despair,
and tears of our healthcare workers who appeal for common sense and self-preservation.
I cry with them.
I cry out in anger,
At the reactionary
emergency meetings
Held too late in the
corridors of power,
When what we desperately need is swift proactive action.
As I realise, we are
in a perfect storm of
A deadly virus,
A huge careless population,
and
The deliberate negligence
of governance.
