Beggars by Nadine Sellers

feet - little feet - bare feet - thousands of little bare feet bleed - keep coming with dirty toes to trod the shiny marble tile in front of the BANK of BANGKOK hands - little hands - filthy little hands -thousands of pairs of palms upturned - with grimey fingers - beg to the pure linen suits walking by the BANK of HONG-KONG avid little hands rush - soft little hands fondle eager travelers - angry little digits grab at leather briefcases outside the airport in MANILA eyes - big round eyes - hungry eyes covet the jewels on the opulent ceilings fit for the tourist in ROME eyes - big brown eyes - beg for little sisters - and their old mothers out of brochures of the profiteers in the FIRST WORLD teeth - little white teeth - grin on the steps of cathedrals - cursing the faithful and the fulfilled in MEXICO CITY bad little teeth - competing little teeth - plead under the grand arches of world reknown in SAO PAULO bellies - big round bellies - full of despair - full of air - protrude from photographs in the press of NEW YORK big bellies full of youth that will never see future - round bellies full of tomorrow's misery - crawl in visceral agony on benches in verdant parks - between bums and crumbs in YOUR CITY

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