snatchers

as i 
go askance
from one car to another
asking for a rupee, a morsel
in the busy delhi road
i often wonder
how greedily they look at my tin bowl
holding a few coins, one or two tattered notes
from the other side of their window glasses
hurriedly pulled up at my approach.

often
i feel grateful that their glasses are up
lest, they should snatch away my few coins from me.
after all, aren't the rich famous for their snatching away skills?
only last september, one of them had snatched away the life of my brother
while merrily driving a car by our pavement