Lamps in the Dark - A poem | AK Das

An octogenarian,

clad in his coolie’s uniform,

working at the railway station,

carries luggage

of the poor migrants

over his aging shoulder

free of cost.

 

An elderly woman,

not charging extra money,

prepares food packets

with shaky hands,

sitting, bending

in her small kitchen

for the distressed migrants.

 

A school going girl,

feeling an urge from within

to return what

society has given her,

pays from her piggy bank

the home-bound airfare

of a few stranded migrants.

 

These are no photo-ops,

posed, clicked

in full public gaze!

They are ordinary mortals

reaching out with compassion,

lighting lamps in the dark

of human miseries.

— A.K. Das, June 21, 2020