What lies beneath

These lovely yellow flowers brighten the landscape of the pavement. The yellow color provides an excellent contrast to the already dull greyish cracked stones. The flowers were scattered by the natural wind and rain while the carefully laid interlocking tiles had been the work of tireless contractors and often poorly paid foreign workers who had left their country in search for a better life... most of them hoping to break away from their poverty cycle.

Here in this community, foreign workers line the streets with the hope of securing jobs is a daily happening. It is not uncommon to see them squatting by the pavement early in the morning and vying for the attention of passing pickups and lorries to provide them with odd jobs and reasonable income for their daily sustenance as well as savings for their loved ones whom they would probably see only once in every 1 or 2 years!

While we walk on the solid pavement,instead of mud tracks and behold the floral beauty, let's appreciate what lied beneath i.e. the swaet and toil of the workers that make our life more pleasant and serene... and offer a prayer of blessing for them as well as for their loved ones who live far away!