living space

• "not enough straight lines ... nothing is flat "


  none of the houses of uniforms

  lack of resources / equipment to build stable houses

  lack of even and equality
• "nails clutch at open seams"


  uncomfortable, desperation

  lack of security and privacy
• "eggs in a wire basket"


  eggs represent new life and hope

  this new life and hope it trapped wire represents a barrier

  egg represents fragility, similarly to the houses leaning dangerously
• "gathering the light"
• "bright, thin walls of faith"
• no rhyme scheme shows the chaos of their living condition, no set structure
• Dharker is a Pakistani-born British, contemporary poet

  she reads to over 25,000 students area travelling across the country
• this poem does not reflect her personal experiences but she does work closely with women and children in India