A Roadside Tale Poem by Amar Agarwala

They stood there by the shadows
Two vagabonds should you call,
One was a man of honour
The other a mongrel small;

The winter sun was setting
Twilight had crawled overall,
The north wind clamoured and howled
Dark clouds had suffused their shawl;

Few townsfolk shuffled about
Hurrying with chores of their day,
But none caring to glance at
The two who stood by their way;

Horse-drawn carriages laboured by
As did porters to the quay,
None had the time to stand by
Caught up in their worldly fray;

Ignored stood the wanderers
Who once had home and hearth,
Their lives blessed with plentiful
For it had both joy and mirth;

But destiny had beguiled
Now they were ever in dearth;
They needed food and shelter
But could barter not its worth;

The two sought caring glances
They sought for a helping hand,
Pleadings a gentle flourish
Like sea-shells upon the sand;

Yet, dusk felt their suffering
Bats feted them to their land,
Stars cajoled from a distance
That Venus would wield its wand.

Huddled upon a doorway
They made a grievous sight,
They stood for heaven's mercy
Their state a piteous plight;

The north wind seemed relentless
It rumbled with all its might,
Snow-flakes heeded their pallor
And left them shrouded in white;

A snow-owl spied them at dawn
Hunched at the doorway below,
Their reverie lay frozen
With desires none would know;

The mortal world had cared not
With compassion's running low,
But nature had been kindly
Having buried them in snow.

The owl mourned their tragedy
Sadly hooting at the sun,
It resounded like a dirge
Alas to hear, there was none!
************