XXVII
In the affluent Western home
A bedroom has to be
A place of peace and comfort
And quiet luxury.
The carpet is soft and thick -
There's a duvet covered bed.
The decor should be restful -
The home designer said.
The windows are velvet curtained
To keep out all the light,
But the owners often cannot sleep
And toss and turn all night.
Unlike the poor and homeless
Who live on Bombay's streets ...
They have no beds or duvets
No pillows - no sheets.
Their mattress is the pavement -
Their pillow a slab of stone,
Grinding comfort-free poverty
Is all they've ever known.
They sleep because they're exhausted,
They do not need potions or pills
Unlike their wealthy countrymen,
Insomnia's not one of their ills.
So instead of taking a sedative
Next time you cannot sleep
Try counting Bombay's homeless
Instead of counting sheep.
19.1.1991
Wodehouse Road
To.M.W.
