In the Street of the Fruit stalls

Wicks balance flame, a dark dew falls

In the street of the fruit stalls

Melon, guava, mandarin,

Pyramid- piled like cannon balls,

Glow red-hot, gold-hot, from within.

Dark children with a coin to spend

Enter the lantern’s orbit; find

Melon, guava, mandarin~

The moon compacted to a rind,

The sun in a pitted skin.

They take it, break it open, let

A gold and silver fountain wet

Mouth, finger, cheek, nose, chin:

Radiant as lantern, they forget

The dark street I am standing in.

This is a symbolic poem. The world is threatened with war, misery and poverty. But all these have failed to crush man’s love for leasure. Children enjoy the sweet spray of the juice forgetting all about the misery they live in.

In the evening time. It is wet and dark. There is a street of fruit seller’s where various fruits are piled up in a conical form. The reflect hot, red and golden colour which in dim lantern light look like bombs. Poor children come there with a coin and stand in the light of the lanterns. They look a the melon, guava and other fruits. Their mouths filled with water. They pick up a fruit and break it open. Juice comes out and pours itself into their mouth’s, and sticks on their fingers and cheeks. They enjoy the fruit, and are least conscious of their surroundings.