The BirdSpeak Blogs--Girls' Turn 2

One of the things that I so loved about meeting & hanging out with the dancers I taught was their fierce spirit & philosophical conviction. How many of us non-twenty somethings remember when we were so committed & hell bent to changing the world? These guys are so passionate in their ideals & it was the foundation for much exchange & sharing. In the midst of having a bawdy, high spirited conversation in the car, we were knocked into somber silence at a red light as a barefoot, miniscule frame of a child runs out between the cars & starts turning back walk-overs. So small was she that all I could see as she folded herself backwards to flip her legs over were her lower legs & when she was upright for seconds, the top of her head. Turning furiously, I could just make out the small circles painted on her face, dark lipstick & some type of rope with a ball that spun on her cap as she moved. Ballooning harem pants enabled easy movement & I marveled as to how she had the timing of that red light down to a Tee, expertly snapping out those walk-overs & coming to the window efficiently expecting to be paid, knowing time was up.

All 3 of us dive into our purses, I’m feeling prepared because the guide book I rely on advises to have small bills for a moment such as this. Triumphant in the giving lasts short moments because her brother, as diminutive as his sibling, sees what’s transpired & hurtles himself in front of the car. Alas, his skills aren’t as refined but the main thing is that time is truly up as the light turns green. Here comes the heartbreak, both his & ours because now the car starts to move but he runs alongside, pounding on the window in desperation with a face that says if you don’t, nobody will give & surely he will starve on this day. Once again all three of us dig into the purses, I knowing it’s futile because I was tapped out.
Empty too, were my companions & we sat in what was the only chapter of silence between us in that day, all feeling guilty, guilty, GUILTY. Spending most of what we had in the shopping frenzy, only to come up short in giving to those in need. Many times my heart breaks, the poverty here is so deplorable, smack up against the affluence we are all hearing about & is just another part of the landscape that is India. Guess if people really wanted change all over the world, things like this just wouldn't be. We wouldn't allow it. The Powers That Be wouldn't allow it, wouldn't keep it so. All Over The World.