Lead Astray Poem by Faizan Barlas

A busy street in down town,
Was where I wore that sick frown,
It was a hectic working day,
With sunset on its way,

All worries flooded my mind,
Leaving almost none behind,
I had lost my car that day,
Oh! My beloved Chevrolet,

I had lost my I-phone,
Around the strike of the unlucky noon,
I just needed a gun that day,
I swear I would’ve blown the thief’s brains right away,

I couldn’t stop mourning,
At being fired that morning,
I made a wish all the way,
That my idiot boss would pass away,

Now even the bus was late,
OH GOD! Why has hassle become my fate?
Everything was fine till yesterday,
Has it got to be the first of May?
Engulfed in the ocean of heavy sadness,
I was being driven to crazy madness,
A sound then hooked my mind away,
Which sounded something like ‘garam aanday’,

It was a man with a heavy load,
Walking with a limp across the road,
Looks of an old man he did portray,
With a bald patch and hairs silvery grey,

Amid the intense heat,
He was completely bare-feet,
He must’ve walked a very long way,
With his feet black and ashen grey,

It seemed as if he had no fear,
That his feeble body with the load might tear,
Then I noticed he had no alms-tray,
He didn’t prefer the easy way,

Everyone who crossed him would nod his head,
Giving a big smile long imbed,
He appeared to use some gadget on his way,
Drenching the passer-bys with his happiness spray,

I wanted to see his glorious face,
Before the look on it would efface,
Hoping to feel the gadget’s spray,
That he used for purvey,

The bus was here but the wait wasn’t still over,
My curiosity had grown much about the strange rover,
Rather than yelling ‘hey’ I screamed ‘Chachay! ’
The old man turned around and looked in survey,

My hands shot up directly in the air,
Waving at him like a perfect pair,
Not knowing why I did it till this day,
Some external power led my hands astray,

Soon my facial muscles also followed suit,
Shaping into a smile after the pursuit,
Then came the feeling of glee with betray,
Was it his mere smile that led me astray?
*
Don’t be the ones whose smiles crease
Only when they hear ‘say cheese’,
Instead use your happiness spray
And lead others astray