Never by a house far from the school
I've learnt in these 17 years
Mine one's quite far
It's good though
Least they say so
Anyways

As bell rings to dismiss our tardy souls
I run and hop on the van
Bigger boys crack crude, sexist joke on the way back home
I sit silently
Revolting within
Wonder if they'll change
Whatever

The van stops unexpectedly, punctured,
On a crossroad, I'm on my own now
I walk towards an auto
He says 15
I sit in the one which costs a rupee less
Great savings!

In front of me is an old, poor man
Blind I presume(not the driver)
I wonder how he gets by
Somehow, definitely
I wonder how they live

Next me sits a boy of same age
Staring at the formulae
In preparation for his engineering exams
Since he was
I glance at his doodles
Sad
Whether he'll pass I wonder
Whether he wants to....
Nevertheless

I stop at the park near my home
That's the farthest they'll go
He checks the coins diligently and vrooms away
I amble
Beneath the summer sky
They cut a tree for the cable
They always do
I guess that's more important

Posters of manifestos
Of various parties lie round
Selling dreams
To those who'll buy

***** stenches as I near the street
A Mercedes goes by
I look round
Ignoring the girl begging
Like everyone else
'They'll buy drugs'
My mom says
'So what?'
I wonder some days
Anyhow

The lanky mad dog
Who's nobody's
Never will be anybody's
Welcomes me
As I open the gate

The rest of the day's less eventful
Internal turmoils
Seem vainer
In the daylight

We get by
Somehow
Hanging on a thread
Of unfulfilled dreams

Everyone strives
For something better
All don't get it
But..
Nonetheless