A WALK TO REMEMBER

Picture Courtesy: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com


The market chatted noisily,
Only goodness knows whom with,
Tooting horns,
Over a hundred cell phones
Ringing all at once,
Hawkers calling out to passers-by,
Quarrelsome vehicle engines
In screams at the top of their lungs,
Chirping birds and
People engaged in conversation,
All made for a huge helping of
An incessant cacophony.


Yet I could hear your measured steps
Behind mine,
As you tread gently on the cobblestones,
You had a pained look on your face,
For you were being scorched by the sun,
I fared a bit better than you,
For my attire was coloured white
While yours was black.
The stench emanating from the choked drains,
And slowly decaying heaps of rubbish
Standing at attention along the pavements
And saluting passers-by,
Made an unbearable situation
The much worse,
Yet not even once did you complain,
You are always there,
I am never alone.


Two weeks ago,
As we walked through the pouring rain,
I noticed you were in no hurry
And so I followed suit,
For your sake, I did tarry,
The rain drops felt soft
And left a tingling sensation as they rolled
Down my skin,
When I turned to look at you,
You barely noticed
For you were busy staring up at the clouds,
Probably you were saying a prayer,
Probably you were calling for more rain,
You cared less about your attire,
Neither did you care about getting your hair wet,
You looked so peaceful in the rain,
You were happy in the pouring rain,
You never leave my side,
You never have to this very day,
Rain or shine,
You’re always there.


Come day’s end,
As I lay down to sleep,
You do same,
By my side in your pajamas,
With bunny slippers waiting on
You at the foot of the bed,
Even when I wake in the middle,
Of the night to go pee,
You tag along,
I guess you enjoy being around me,
You have never left my side,
You are always there,
Every step I take,
Is a walk to remember,
For you’re always in toe,
Bringing me cheer,
Though you hardly say much,
Just seeing you there whenever
I look over my shoulders,
Tells me how much you care.


When morning comes,
The cock shall crow,
It is then that I shall rise,
And you with me,
Two perfectly in sync,
Like clocks and time,
There’s never one without the other,
One means none,
There’s none without the other,
You are more than a friend
But you’re not my brother,
Neither are you my sister,
Companions for life,
We came into this world together,
You are my shadow,
A walk with you is always one to remember,
Here’s to you,
My shadow.