Solitary Tramp

In this arid plain Of perennial drought, As I stand transfixed With vexations rising in my spirit And sadness lying mute as a stone, I discern, I am alone With none to hold my hand Or share the burden That weighs me down. Trudging rugged paths With my mournful shadow Tottering along, The past sneers at me Breaking open bottled up memories- Of years spent in unbridled passion, The smell of cigarettes, ganja and beer Wine and women, bet and gambling, And the thrill of having won and lost Once I walked with stilted gait Surrounded by friends and fans, Amid laughter and haste Eager to please and to praise Inebriated and effervescent were we Went to ball and ballets Fancied money could buy all we yearned And turn this Earth-a virtual Paradise But how swift was the twist of fate! With no condiments, Life suddenly turned bland. The gorgeous castles I once built, Burnt down to cinders Like dry leaves blown by the wind, Friends, I thought never would desert, Flitted away one by one! With dejection and despair Warping me down A rabid dog I strayed. Grew irritable and vicious, Fled away from bond and bondage Spitting the saliva of my angst I barked… barked at everyone "Where did vanish all the fabulous dreams Whither gone life's ritzy splendours? But the wild fire burnt itself down, Now a passive stillness has settled in. In this inert hush, as I grope, Through the murky corridors of life With the sound of my footsteps Falling like a thud, A single query breaks out from within ‘Where shall I hide unseen From this horrid loneliness Staring me in the eyes? '