He lay asleep
Under the shade of the tree,
No passersby hailed him
All rushed pass on their bikes.
Their cars … honking their way
Others sweated but walked away.
Without a glance
He, drenched in sweat
Stirred
Was it a gentle breeze?
That disturbed his idle sleep
No, there was no breeze.
The branches of the tree he lay under
Were miserably chopped
A tired branch
Covered with the remnants
Of some stale leaves
Stirred
A lonely bird perched up
Steadily watched the man
With his heated face
“Is he alive?” she chirped
Away she flew to a tank
She perceived on her way
“Perhaps”, she muttered,
“He needs a drop of water”
She returned…
And a drop at a time
She let fall over the tired lonely man
And once again
He stirred…
~Shobha Diwakar
Jabalpur, India
It’s a well written poem showing how terribly busy & lost we are with ourselves that we have no time for anyone. Birds & animals seem to be more caring. We can learn a lot from them.
Simple yet profound- a tale of hope and embrace of a stranger.