endless circle

through the night
and sometimes
through the day
they fill her
one by one.
they reek
of decayed morals
that hang limp
from demented souls.

she is scared today,
for it is him again.
the one who scars her first
with abuse that flows from
a rancid tongue
soured with crime.
then it comes,
in venomous form,
powdered pepper
sears its fangs
into that sacred passage
whence comes new-born life.


her screams
are seen in terrified irises.
muffled otherwise,
for she must not wake
that little form
that lies crumpled in a heap
beneath the cot that creaks
under the weight
of burdens that
untouched mankind
calls sin.

he is done.
and bends down
to pick up remains of his
discarded desires.
he smiles, revealing
a glint of
a decayed silver tooth,
stained in the blood of betel leaves.
he picks her up, that child of five,
and feels his lust swell once more.

unsullied innocence
is initiated
into the circle
just like before.


after a TED talk by Sunita Krishnan 2010