Somanathan Iyer

On my way home from work place
I got down at a stop to catch the connecting bus
Comforting myself on a bench there
I let my eyes to scan the surroundings
My looks stopped at a corner where
A lean old ailing beggar was resting with a dog
Wearing a garland of empty and half filled plastic bottles
Wrinkled toothless fragile and weak he was
Getting up in a hurry he gulped some water
With some murmur unknown to any one
His hands were busy searching his dirty bag
After some efforts fished out a roti that was hard and stale
Breaking it in pieces offered one to the dog looking at him
Sniffing it for a while the dog walked away in search of his own food
Hungry beggar stuffed some pieces into his toothless mouth
Unable to chew or swallow he spitted them out
Again with a murmur whipped out a mug from his dirty bag
Filling it with some water dropped in the remaining pieces
Keeping the mug by his side he started resting again
May be the soaked pieces were his baked dinner for that night!