The Orphan

By Mohini Deshpande

Through those winding lanes

Once again he walked,

At that little broken window

Habitually he stopped!

On his little toes he lifted

His six year old little self

For a glimpse of what could have been

Where he saw another like him...

As if in a parallel universe!

Sitting at the table

Fed lovingly by his mother,

Teased to no end by his sister,

As his father kissed him goodbye for the day!

For a moment it made him

Forget his reality

Watching alone day in and out

As trains come and go

Struggling each day for food

And a place to go....

And the next moment

He longed for what was before his eyes,

For love, for family

For an answer to his cries!

By Mohini Deshpande