I Am The Culprit

A shivering shaggy ten-year-old

Washes my car at wee hours

On a frosty winter morning

In blistering cold

My gut does not wrench

I am the culprit

A twelve something rickety frame

Struggles to scrub cauldrons

Twice his size and age

At a roadside stand

My heart does not bleed

I am the culprit

Two pleading eyes peep through

I roll down my car window

I flick some currency

I mutter some mercy

My guilt trip is over

I am the culprit

A pack of famished tweens

Slogs its spring of life away

In dingy bonded snares

Their tiny hands at perilous work

My soul does not stir

I am the culprit

A cowering parade of dusty lads

Crushes dream at construction sites

Cruel commands their destiny

Cuss words their diet

I do not get goosebumps

I am the culprit

An army of kids as young as four

Descends a hand dug a shaft

In Congolese mines to find Cobalt

Their lives hanging by a thread

But my smartphone must keep working

I am the culprit

Yes I am the culprit

Of countless poor kids

I am selfish

I am self-absorbed

I steal their sunshine time

But aren't 'Munnis' and 'chotus' my lifeline?

I agree they must rewrite their destiny

But I am not a Kailash Satyarthi!