I sat on the wooden bench made of rough planks
To my lucky stars I spoke silent words of thanks
My pea-green two-wheeler had a flat tyre
Returning home from my daily chores
My throat was parched dry pushing the bike
for three miles in the warm summer sun
Wearily I concluded that riding a bike wasn't much fun
Clad in greasy ,dirty,stinking cotton shorts and vest
Dusty feet in worn sandals ,unkempt wild hair
Skinny arms and legs ,dark skin, pigeon chest
Why did this teenager leave his warm home nest?
Expert in his trade with hammer and spanner
Deftly he fixed the leak childish face sweating in summer
Handed a tenner to the child mechanic
Thought of his counterparts in youthful fun and frolic
Asked him his name which pleased him very much
Shoved an extra tenner into his grimy pocket
Surprised he was ! eyes bulged from the socket
There are hundreds of such boys in wayside garages
Who's responsible for their plight?Who'll pay damages?
©bishu
Scavengers
cowardly circling
waiting for eyes elsewhere
then spiraling down
they land on younger
victims and taunt
them with sharp
claws and deep
pockets.
.
~a~
08-17-13
2:21a