The Prayer of a Chennai Street Urchin

The skies suddenly had opened up
One dark morning,
during my daily rounds
Soon, there was water everywhere
People wading in waist high water, here and there.

Even as I stood musing,
in front of the movie-star's housing
I was ushered in,
along with a few rich men,
Something I could not have
even dreamt of, on drier days.

With one stroke of depression,
God suddenly had provided
All that an urchin could have coveted.

A roof over my head, that too of a celebrity,
Clothes from the samaritans running Charity
Those hands doling out food,
looked that those of almighty
It was if I had found heaven, by serendipity.

Water had brought in the Utopia of Marx
By inundating houses, offices and parks.
And now,
The actor, the watcher,
The maker and the made,
Are all under one roof,
In silent contemplation.

All praying in silent fear
For the skies to quickly clear.

Except for that solitary cheer.
For me, this deluge is so dear.

For, the waters will soon recede
The people, to their houses, will secede
I will be back on the street
Nowhere to hide, nothing to eat.
Nothing to wear,
Except pain and despair.

I need to escape the machinations
Of the hoodlum forcing me to beg
At traffic lights, my "second home".

I need to escape the torture of hunger
By eating leftovers, that leftover food
In those banana leaves,
outside marriage halls.

My honour has many holes
In that sartorial "beauty"
On my torso
No one to care,
My body goes bare.

My life will revert
To that mountain of filth,
Dumped by the garbage van
From where I pick paper and plastic
To eek out my survival.

So, Oh God!
Let the rains continue.
Let me continue in this dream state
Let me enjoy the warmth
Of Four walls, for some more time.
Let me pose alongside the Star
In my new clothes from afar
Let me savour hot food
A once-in-a-lifetime chance so good
Let me continue in delusion-
Right in this deluge.

❤D❤