they were right with wisdom 
when told with sarcasm 
"He is from the poor family" 
and parents suffer from poverty

one of influential and rich man apprised about me 
before the professor who had come to see
if some students can join his college 
for the further study and can manage

I felt humiliated 
and got fully earthed 
as if the high voltage had passed through my body 
and shocked me deadly

why should the poverty be questioned?
and mentioned before a person 
who had come to take some poor students! 
my inner conscious rebelled against such comment

the people know how difficult is it to bear an insult?
and that too, when it has become a known cult
to cut down the poor students from entering the mainstream 
and show the disrespect towards them

It brought tears 
but I had to bear 
with no fault of parents 
who tried their level best

Hasmukh Amathalal Mehta