— Akash Jyoti Pegu,
Dhemaji.
I count bricks instead of alphabets,
I carry a sack of coal instead of a school bag.
I build walls,
But none to shelter my dreams.
I silence my cries,
But the night still screams.
They call it cheap labor,
But every coin they toss me
Is a nail hammered into my childhood.
The tears in my eyes are not for toys
But for freedom-
For a childhood stolen,
For wings I never wore.
