Of Ponies and Official Cars

The official car speeds along the concrete streets

The chauffeur driving at breakneck speed

The big man and his attractive wife hidden inside

Passing a hayrick pulled by a young pony

Driven by a young peasant and his wife beside

Passing a three-wheeled tractor driven by the Construction worker

With his wife sitting on the fender of the tire

Passing a small motorcycle laden with an entire family

The wife sitting side-saddle, and the young boy standing on the handle bars

Passing the old man pulling the load of coal on a wooden cart

Straining and sweating bare back in the sun

Passing the bent up little taxi

Full of a large party of people going somewhere

Passing a pig being led to the market by its master

Passing goats eating weeds on the center islands

Passing chickens pecking on the side

And scratching in the garbage piles

Passing stray dogs and a dirty homeless old man

Passing the vendor and his wife selling the chow bin

Passing the workers building the new brick building

Passing the little boys fighting over their few marbles

Passing the young soldier in uniform

And his young wife on a bicycle

Passing the young shopkeeper pushing his bicycle cart

Passing the bookseller on the corner waiting for Another customer to visit his small shop

And when the official car passes, with its driver

Without stopping or even slowing down

And the young attractive wife

And the man in a leather jacket

In the back seat

I must wonder, do they see the people they pass by

Do they notice them, do they think about them

As they vanish in the exhaust and dust

Almost as quickly as they came