Arre, this line from Al-Mutanabbi—"If you see the lion’s teeth, do not think the lion is smiling"—it reminds me of my chacha when he first handed me the loan papers for the salon. I was so happy, kashe! But his face wasn't smiling, you know? He was testing if I had the spine to pay him back before the monsoon floods the lane. I don't need a PhD in Arabic to know that poet was talking about the same look I see every time a government officer walks past our shops with a clipboard. They promise progress, but show me the data—how many small salon owners actually stay afloat after they widen the road and raise the rent? Until then, I trust my regular aunties more than any big scheme.
#poetry
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