Poem: ‘What Middle Class?’

by Sara Bawany Instagram

it is 8:08 a.m.

rent is due in 11 days

i have been at work for 8 minutes

and there is already sweat on my brow

i am calculating how many more hours i

need to sit at this desk

how many more rich white folk i need to

drive around this city

to their tasteless and expensive bars

just so i can pay my rent

which is due in 11 days

about 36 feet away from my desk

two sorority girls are banging adamantly on the closed doors of starbucks

devoid of their morning caffeine and sugar

which is worth an entire hour of my paycheck

and while i panic

about my rent being due in 11 days

i wonder

how strange it is to

share this world

with millions of people

yet be a universe apart

[Read More: Viral Poem ‘A Brown Girl’s Guide To Gender’ Speaks a Universal Truth]


Sara Bawany is a Dallas-based poet, writer, and occasional spoken word artist with a passion for bringing to light some of the most taboo issues in the South Asian community. A recent graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, Sara just received her Master’s degree in Social Work. She hopes to work with domestic violence victims and help them find their voices again, just like she has through writing. When Sara isn’t writing, she enjoys baking, taking pictures, eating lots of Nutella, and cuddling with her pet rabbit. She plans to publish her first poetry book soon and you can find more of her writings on her poetry Instagram page @sara.bawany and on Facebook. 
By Brown Girl Magazine

Brown Girl Magazine was created by and for South Asian womxn who believe in the power of storytelling as a … Read more ›