The Tenant

His breaths stank decay and death unlike The accustomed smell of toil, and despair A lingered wish choked out in broken words, Amid long cough in vague and feeble voice, family members gathered around his bed And looked at each other in deep anguish: It was odd hours of past midnight, rain wet Unfavourable to wish tender coconut water Annoyed and distressed in deep thirst His eyes were rolling like search lights For the drink to cool his parching throat. But nobody dared to venture and explore His teen son climbed up a coconut tree Among the row of them in front of the hut All planted by him and nurtured in his sweat. As a bonded tenant in the soil of his landlord Hardly had the plucked nut been cut open A gang of the landlord's goondas gusted in And snatched it away asking in hot temper, 'How dare you devil steal landlord's coconut, ? ' Too feeble was he to withstand their blows, Nor was able to run away being tied to the tree Hard kicks and thrashes collapsed him And sunk him to the depths of a tragic death Amidst the noise of struggles and violence Nobody noticed the old man ending his tenancy Having spread the terrible thirst to his veins And a spook of pain storming inside the chest Abundance exploited from the life of the poor Castles built on their tombs in cruel deception Cups of life snatched away from their lips Have never withstood the test of perilous time