The Beggar and his Dog

By Manoj Kumar

The Beggar and his Dog

We are as similar as opposites can be

He's short and puny, I am gangly

He barks when he's happy, angry or sad

Yes, he's my dog and he makes me glad

He looks at me with reverent eyes

As I beg before the world, for a morsel of rice

He's happy even though, it's in a broken voice, I sing

To him I am nothing less than a King

I am dirty and unkempt, my clothes in tatters

When people turn away with disdain, my heart shatters

But he's blissfully unaware of my pathetic existence

To him I am more than just means of subsistence

He is my companion, my friend, my guide

Together we surf the storms and the rising tide

Of everyday life and together we survive

I think, it is for him that I stay alive

As the day winds down, our spoils we share

In a dirty corner of a dirty street; Our lair

We always eat together, never alone

He always gives me the meat, and gnaws on a bone

I talk to him about past's glory, and today's misery

The world laughs at me and calls me crazy

But he wags his tail as though understanding it all

And snuggles up to me and sleeps, when night falls

By Manoj Kumar