Change Ila!

“Hoi! Change ila!”
The bartender barks at Javeed from the counter.
Who's struggling to leave the bar-
having left his days pay with the owner..

Back at home:
His children cry in their sty,
keeping his wife drenched in agony.
For they have no food,
and long to sleep but await Javeed.

The lights are out for the night,
heat has reached its peak
mosquitoes have dinner, their plight is hunger;
an ordinary night in their broken home.

Javeed stumbles along the road,
clenching his 8 PM bottle
trying to out run his shadow
until he finds his way home.

“Where have you been you lousy fool?”
She questions him as he drools.
He falls back and sleeps in vomit,
his wife tries to get him onto his feet,
the children shudder and panic.

She fails to get him to stand,
she's disgusted by what fate's dealt her.
She throws him a couple of slaps,
leaves him outside and throws him a kurta.

The morning after:
He wakes up by the patio,
Covered by her wee kurta,
under an overcasting tree shadow.

He is angered by her pre-caution,
So he rages in with intent to revenge,
having forgotten all he did the night before,
he finds her busy doing chores.

He pulls her to her heels,
showers her in chills
then smacks her face,
and shoves her to the wall in fast pace.
He spits to the ground in distaste,
lets go and trots to his workplace.

When he comes home that night,
in a similar state under waning moonlight.
His wife docks behind the door like a mouse,
waiting on him for a moment to strike.
When the gap is bridged to her liking,
she barks and asks him to take a hike,
but he too is ready to put up a fight;
Nonetheless, unable to participate.

 He rushes towards her to shove her,
she pulls out a pan and strikes him.
knocks him out and lets him sleep with mice...

His sagas go on and on,
He shames and provokes her day in-day out
ruining his family and arousing change.

Then one morning,
when he slams the door to barge in,
It swings wide open and to his dismay,
He finds the house empty and in disarray,
and a small note atop their only table
that definitely strikes a chord. It read;
“Change ila!”