The Nomad

I saunter across this sundered field,

To the woes of time it did yield,

Once flowing green and fertile as could be,

Now pale & exhausted till where my eye allows me to see,

In this land under the fiery sun,

I feel all of humanity's humanity undone.

Not stands a towering tree glowing with glee,

Nor flows a blue stream,vivid as my dream,

I stand among trampled leaves,

No sign of life on either side,

At this sight, my heart cleaves,

Alas! In none can my grief I confide.

All at once, I see a flutter of wings,

The station of my heart, its number rings,

A bubble of hope originates in my being,

I outstretch my arm, it retreats, fleeing.

I cautiously chase it under that ominous sky,

It eludes my grasp, I continue to try,

It seems not afraid,but seems to lead me,

Coy & suggestive, it beckons me to see,

And I follow as though in a trance,

As across the charred earth it does advance.

It leads me to a spot where lies a withering rose,

Of not red, nor white, but yellow hue,

I ask it what this path precedes,

And where unto it leads?

Still it speaks not but lets out a sigh,

Keeps moving on, choosing not to reply.

With that yellow rose in hand I keep up

with that little flutter under the eerie sky,

We go on for what seems like days until

The air starts filling with the din of a child's cry.

As I look around, I see no source,

But instead a pool of tears I spy,

Forming on that barren land, that soil so coarse,

And the cry emanates thereby.

As I kneel to examine those salty drops,

A jolt across me is set off,

And abruptly, that whine in the air stops.

The fluid courses through my veins,

Bringing my mind some memories not mine,

Opening up, of my reason, new domains.

I see a young child, merry and glad,

Next moment, ravaged and sorrow-clad

Just like that, in the blink of an eye,

His world, his life, all upheaved like a white lie,

Now he stands alone and afraid,

This journey of life,

Alone, condemned to tread.

I try and reach out, I let out a shout,

He merely returns a stare so blank,

The radiator of my heart lets out a clank,

As I realize that I must just continue to watch

Powerless, against this ploy of my mind,

I must grit and watch those tears spout.

Out of that nightmare I return,

To find an immediate cure for my heartburn,

The tides have turned for the land,

Though still reigns that orange sky astute,

I see a thousand little shoots,

Unravelling from the lifeless sand.

Those tears indeed cleansed it all

For life, innocence had to take the fall

That little child shall wander on,

Doomed to clean up the mess yon

We spilt everywhere when this world we pawned

Condemned, he moves, from dusk, till dawn and beyond.

Author's Note

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