Belonging

By Jayanta Biswas

How varied and contrasting

could human nature be!

How so unique among

all beings that surround him.

How so polarized across

gender, age and emotions!

How so accommodating and

innocent and inconsolable,

and also those which take it

as a routine as it comes and goes.

The little cutest pup

golden but lean and

gaunt, and infested with

bugs contracted from

its inexperienced father

during their playful game--

stayed along for some days

before being sold out

without much emotions or

having much to look back on

from the human parents

for weirdly a sense of relief

dawned on one or

maybe the other, too, that

there would be no more

mess to deal with that

comes along with having such

a naive pupper which

does not know where to

pee or excrete the stuff

from the sickly bowels.

Not much could they ensure

to make it healthier; as if,

they did not wish to

pay much attention to

or took that much effort in

its actual health parametres.

Not that , they could not;

they are experienced enough

but concentrated more on

placing some suitable ads and

finding a right buyer or

even a broker for its sale.

Not known if a send-off

was given or drops of tear

fell from any of them or

their heart became heavy--

heavier than the delight

of the financial gain.

What I know now is

its father felt different

after it was gone and

felt lonely and sad for

most part of the day and

vehemently complained

to me for its absence

on my return from office:

in fact, it started crying out

barked on at its top

on the arrival of my car

at their entrance door

while I was still back some

walking distance far--walking

from office to their home

and I could hear him crying

helpless and agitated all along.

And a young girl of eleven

during her short stay here

held it close to her bosom

where it fast fell asleep,

and patted and caressed,

and nosed and kissed,

also played their little games

when it was awake and fit.

She felt very anxious to

hear it would be sold out

and kept me asking for

all the information about

the impending sale:

the facts about how far

it would go; who it would be

to whom it would be sold;

whether the broker really came,

if he would truly come, and,

if yes, how the little baby

would reach the new home.

Will it be duly looked after

could it be seen again

that it would have to

go far crossing borders!

Once back home after her

brief stay here in freedom and

being in glee being with him

and once finally known that

it was finally taken away

not accidentally but with

a determined will, indeed,

out of a worldly necessity,

she could not help but

burst into innocent tears--

as if, she has just lost

a rare piece of her soul.

By Jayanta Biswas