Walked through the empty street; watching the moon consume the darkness,
Exams done, a whole December planned ahead of me.
The winter wind blowing the hair off my shoulders , the cold running down my spine,
I hold up my coat tight, with an unusual delight,
Waiting for my favourite season to set in; the frozen treat of Delhi.
As I went on, ignorant of what lay ahead, a yelp from my end did shake the evening's calm;
The big brown creature,caught trembling with fear,
"It's just a Dog," I told myself; though the same line had me sweating and unnerved
"Just stroll away and it won't hurt you" , I followed my voice and walked askew,
Pulling my coat over as the temperature seemed to drop lower.
Just as I turned away with a soundless sigh, I heard a moan rising in the air,
I stopped at once to face what I had left behind;
Took a few steps closer to get a look so clear; sceptical and yet too sure,
It is not what I saw but what I felt that matters
As I start to share what I witnessed, I must say Fate is not too Kind.
The big brown creature strolling around, watched the moonlight just like any of us did,
He walked a few steps forward and back again,
And shook himself up then uncurled his paws, moaning still, head held low.
Then all at once he pulled a crushed box; a left-over perhaps, no use to a human;
Curled himself back ,trying to fit in, he howled in pain.
Shivers ran through my skin and bones ; No! it was not the cold,
'The poor thing is cold,' is what struck me that moment;
It first tried its paws and then his face a little slower, but all in vain,
Its body was too big for a crumpled shoe box
It moaned once more as a gust of wind blew by, and carried the box to the other end.
My heart ached so bad, what could I do, I got to help out?
I looked around and found my last resort,
A dark, woollen, thrown-away cloth , only too perfect for the deed,
I fought my phobia all at once and picked the cloth , marching right to the spot,
The moment it saw me , it bounced up to retort.
I backed off; my knees giving way, my heart pounding hard,
"I am just trying to help" is what I said out loud,
The vulnerable eyes, now replaced by powerful ferocity,
Feeling strangely guilty for a mistake that I could not comprehend,
watching him stand in defence, his eyes so proud.
"You are human. You don't like us. You are selfish and mean."
Were the inarticulate words that I could pull out,
I looked at my denim and thick woollen coat, suddenly aware of my own secure living,
It stood there still, looking me in my eyes, I took a few more steps back,
It stood there still, staring at me with doubt.
Another gush of cold wind was enough to shrink it up once more,
I felt ashamed as I involuntarily pulled my coat closer,
It closed its eyes and this time it opened them, soft and calm; so hollowed and deep,
And in those eyes I now saw the helpless reflection of its entire kind.
"Please don't hurt me. You see, I am yet not doing quite better."
With the third gush of wind I felt my heart freeze down, as he moaned and moaned,
Cursing the city's winters for the first time,
Again with a jerk he walked to the end, pulling the little shoe-box, it's security blanket for the night.
He brought it back to the spot, where the street light shone dim, hoping to get some heat,
Settling with his paws and his tail inside, with a gentle whine.
"I am sorry" I heard my voice speak up, as I knew it was time to leave,
I took the first turn and then started to pace up,
It was time for me now to hang my head low, for I could do nothing to help the poor fellow,
How many of them are found suffering the cold? How many of these stories remain untold?
I wondered on my way back, running down the sub.
Walked through the empty street; watching the moon consume the darkness,
Exams done, but could no longer care of the December planned ahead of me.
How many of them will survive the month; we need to do something before it is too late.
You heard it all my folks, the tale of the Dog and the Shoe Box.
Have you been in my place before? Do you have any suggestions? Please share your story.
Exams done, a whole December planned ahead of me.
The winter wind blowing the hair off my shoulders , the cold running down my spine,
I hold up my coat tight, with an unusual delight,
Waiting for my favourite season to set in; the frozen treat of Delhi.
As I went on, ignorant of what lay ahead, a yelp from my end did shake the evening's calm;
The big brown creature,caught trembling with fear,
"It's just a Dog," I told myself; though the same line had me sweating and unnerved
"Just stroll away and it won't hurt you" , I followed my voice and walked askew,
Pulling my coat over as the temperature seemed to drop lower.
Just as I turned away with a soundless sigh, I heard a moan rising in the air,
I stopped at once to face what I had left behind;
Took a few steps closer to get a look so clear; sceptical and yet too sure,
It is not what I saw but what I felt that matters
As I start to share what I witnessed, I must say Fate is not too Kind.
The big brown creature strolling around, watched the moonlight just like any of us did,
He walked a few steps forward and back again,
And shook himself up then uncurled his paws, moaning still, head held low.
Then all at once he pulled a crushed box; a left-over perhaps, no use to a human;
Curled himself back ,trying to fit in, he howled in pain.
Shivers ran through my skin and bones ; No! it was not the cold,
'The poor thing is cold,' is what struck me that moment;
It first tried its paws and then his face a little slower, but all in vain,
Its body was too big for a crumpled shoe box
It moaned once more as a gust of wind blew by, and carried the box to the other end.
My heart ached so bad, what could I do, I got to help out?
I looked around and found my last resort,
A dark, woollen, thrown-away cloth , only too perfect for the deed,
I fought my phobia all at once and picked the cloth , marching right to the spot,
The moment it saw me , it bounced up to retort.
I backed off; my knees giving way, my heart pounding hard,
"I am just trying to help" is what I said out loud,
The vulnerable eyes, now replaced by powerful ferocity,
Feeling strangely guilty for a mistake that I could not comprehend,
watching him stand in defence, his eyes so proud.
"You are human. You don't like us. You are selfish and mean."
Were the inarticulate words that I could pull out,
I looked at my denim and thick woollen coat, suddenly aware of my own secure living,
It stood there still, looking me in my eyes, I took a few more steps back,
It stood there still, staring at me with doubt.
Another gush of cold wind was enough to shrink it up once more,
I felt ashamed as I involuntarily pulled my coat closer,
It closed its eyes and this time it opened them, soft and calm; so hollowed and deep,
And in those eyes I now saw the helpless reflection of its entire kind.
"Please don't hurt me. You see, I am yet not doing quite better."
With the third gush of wind I felt my heart freeze down, as he moaned and moaned,
Cursing the city's winters for the first time,
Again with a jerk he walked to the end, pulling the little shoe-box, it's security blanket for the night.
He brought it back to the spot, where the street light shone dim, hoping to get some heat,
Settling with his paws and his tail inside, with a gentle whine.
"I am sorry" I heard my voice speak up, as I knew it was time to leave,
I took the first turn and then started to pace up,
It was time for me now to hang my head low, for I could do nothing to help the poor fellow,
How many of them are found suffering the cold? How many of these stories remain untold?
I wondered on my way back, running down the sub.
Walked through the empty street; watching the moon consume the darkness,
Exams done, but could no longer care of the December planned ahead of me.
How many of them will survive the month; we need to do something before it is too late.
You heard it all my folks, the tale of the Dog and the Shoe Box.
Have you been in my place before? Do you have any suggestions? Please share your story.
