Sighing deeply

She let out a moan

Long and lonesome

As she lay unaware

In the dark, unlit room

A night bulb, blinking now and then

Ready to breathe its last

Is that what fate held for her too?

She turned with gnawing pain

 No one around to help

A solitary glass with half a jug of water

Stood by her side

A dry loaf of bread

A cold cup of tea

That was her morning scrubby meal

Also for her lunch

With or without a bowl of curd,

Cooked dal, or veggie

A skinny, bundle of bones

The new owner of her house

 Her son and his wife

Work hard to make a decent living

The maid cooks and goes

Leaving the old woman forlorn

Once the pride of the house

Now lost in dreams of the past

A dog barks and breaks her reverie

It is the new pampered member of the family.

                                                                        ~Shobha Diwakar

                                                                          Jabalpur, India