Steps. Five in number. Then the landing.
--------------
My legs ache for comfort. Earlier
in the day, they spent four hours, contorted in a little space in the
classroom. Tough thing.
His, at 60 plus are forced to work, all day long.
I, am just 20.
I often quote “ I need seven hours of continuous, undisturbed sleep to be able to figure out how to walk the next day, otherwise I’m as good as stoned, baby. “
He, probably gets up at 5 every morning and then reaches home late at night. In between, he does not get more than a few hours of sleep. Comfort kept miles away from the picture.
I, just turned 20.
_______________
His, at 60 plus are forced to work, all day long.
I, am just 20.
I often quote “ I need seven hours of continuous, undisturbed sleep to be able to figure out how to walk the next day, otherwise I’m as good as stoned, baby. “
He, probably gets up at 5 every morning and then reaches home late at night. In between, he does not get more than a few hours of sleep. Comfort kept miles away from the picture.
I, just turned 20.
_______________
I am still in a queue. Another 20
year old happens to be withdrawing cash. He seems to be taking a lot of time.
Multiple transactions , a college trip, my mind perceives while I try hard to
stay patient, waiting for the guy to make way for me.
His fingers work on the touch-screen. I look up to my right and curse. A tiny ceiling fan. Tiny.. Drops of sweat. It is a hot summer day.
I am still on the last of the five steps. Waiting. Myles Kennedy crooning a love song. Volume thus pumped up another level.
______________
His fingers work on the touch-screen. I look up to my right and curse. A tiny ceiling fan. Tiny.. Drops of sweat. It is a hot summer day.
I am still on the last of the five steps. Waiting. Myles Kennedy crooning a love song. Volume thus pumped up another level.
______________
I did not have anything for lunch.
Because the food was a shade of yellow which I happen to dislike. I feel a
little dizzy.
He had a cold, dry meal today, the same he has had for the past two years, the food wrapped up in something, packed up in another.
He is more than 65.
He had a cold, dry meal today, the same he has had for the past two years, the food wrapped up in something, packed up in another.
He is more than 65.
_________
Suddenly my sight shifts to a man seated in a crooked
chair in the corner. Or maybe it is a stool.
His uniform, a shade of khaki. His legs crossed.
He is reading something, a piece of paper. A piece of trash somebody dropped. He realizes that.
The next sight clouds up my vision. The little flimsy yet somehow very graceful manner in which he removes the specs, places them in his other hand while he works with the case with the other, draws out a silent shriek from me. And as he puts them back to the place where they go, (then the case in a polythene bag he is carrying), I shiver. He gets up, moves to his left, drops the piece of paper in the dust-bin. With his shoulders drooping a little, his steps coordinated in that slow motion, he walks back to the chair/stool. Takes up his job where he left it. Guarding the bank and the ATM.
His uniform, a shade of khaki. His legs crossed.
He is reading something, a piece of paper. A piece of trash somebody dropped. He realizes that.
The next sight clouds up my vision. The little flimsy yet somehow very graceful manner in which he removes the specs, places them in his other hand while he works with the case with the other, draws out a silent shriek from me. And as he puts them back to the place where they go, (then the case in a polythene bag he is carrying), I shiver. He gets up, moves to his left, drops the piece of paper in the dust-bin. With his shoulders drooping a little, his steps coordinated in that slow motion, he walks back to the chair/stool. Takes up his job where he left it. Guarding the bank and the ATM.
I can’t look at that skewed corner
of our world.
The old man deserves to be at home and looked after.
He is nearly 70.
The old man deserves to be at home and looked after.
He is nearly 70.
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