In the expanse of the scene unfolding before my eyes,
In the expanse of the rusty roofs spread in an infinite distance
Through the cracking sounds and Harlem's explosions
We move with haste, placidly proclaiming our satisfaction in life,
Inside our ghetto houses, we speak animatedly of our childhood dreams
Outside, life puzzles and bustles but dazzles in the smoky haze,
Our women turn as roasting fish as they gossip tales unknown
Our men reminisce boyhood games in huddled groups
Our children, half-naked play on dusty paths and muddy waters
In the alleys, water flows impeccably, the dirt of humanity,
Carrying with it waste of centuries gone and centuries to come
Across the valley, beautiful buildings rise to touch the skies above
We silently peep at the sleek fuel guzzlers zoom along the highways
Dustbins fill with leftovers of yesterdays' endless parties
We hear their women talk of latest hairstyles and fashion,
Men enrich their talk with latest cars and bank accounts
Children choke under the endless supply of cake and candy.
Behind the stones walls and the curly electric fences-
Mean guards in torn uniforms suffering in a kind of slavery,
Comes the pearls of laughter directing spite and scorn to us in Shanty
But they are in the grand palace where freedom is forever lost!
Yet they continue to scorn forgotten mortals dwarfed under mud walls and rusty roofs,
Of hungry children playing with the frogs in the swampy greens
Of women darkened by the dark smoke from the smoking fish,
Of men who will not build a stone house!
Oh Shantytown, such dwellings of men with minds so creative!
The eighth wonder of the urban life, the sacred goods in the flying toilets
Don't frown, dear friend, the flying goods pooled together
Gather gas to give you the power; to cook and warm your muzzled castles
Shantytown, a place where hopes run immortal in the hearts of men!
Children run about unmanned, untamed, swimming in childhood freedom of unbridled joy,
The worries of the affluent, of children kidnapped, or gone missing…
Missing from the guarded playgrounds of cops and electric fences
Do not run amok to disturb the peaceful tranquility of Shantytown paradise
And simple ailments don't make slum dwellers camp in hospital beds
For they are hardened and gifted in the Spartan ways of life
Oh Shantytown, such dwellings of men with hearts so brave!
Suddenly, darkness slowly sets in the so called murky dens of the ‘outcasts'.
The smoke from the dying embers on the street fizzles out
The dancing shadows take a bow to follow their masters' sleep.
One by one the smoky lamps bid the night a romantic welcome
Behind the walls of the tall buildings,
In the marble castles and the majestic palaces
The mocking laughter continues…
Yet behind the mud and carton walls and rusty roofs,
Men and women timidly embrace as children snore under their matrimonial beds!
Hushed words over wine and sleep bring forth new inspirations
As the mud walls radiate endless warmth encumbering our joyful souls
The frogs and crickets in our swampy fields strike perfect harmonies of ballads
The drunkards totter home; speaking their minds loud in their intellectual philosophies
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem