LITTLE BROWN FACE

Dear little brown face,
Denizen of the street.
Ours was a brief encounter,
With hardly any speech.

Suddenly out of nowhere,
You came into my life.
And now have left me desolate,
With hardly any respite.

Dear little brown face,
I don't know your name.
But I can well imagine
From where you came.

Yours is a strange society,
From beyond the pale.
Whose hallmark is a hand
Raised in travail.

I was sitting in the taxi,
Locked in my own thoughts,
In front of me was Humayun's tomb,
A monument to the past.

Above the din and clamour
I heard your insistent knock.
I turned aside to see,
Then sat up with a start.

Holy Mary Mother of God!
What is this I see?
Heaven's Angel in disguise?
Or some wayward earthly nymph?

Your hair was all amatted,
Your face covered with dust.
But those eyes, O God, those eyes,
They spoke of a world apart.

Large, brown luminous eyes,
Mirrors of your soul.
They belied a certain sadness
And a desperation of hope.

There was a gentleness in your expression
Tinged with an awful plea.
That touched the heart to the very core.
And put me ill at ease.

Dear little brawn face
I saw your hand go aloft.
Just then the taxi drew away
Toward the glory of the past.

You are one of nature's miracles
That happens from time to time.
Through the quagmire of human misery
Your angelic face does shine.

Oft as I lay on my pillow,
Your face comes before my eyes.
A silent tear runs down my cheek
At the twists and turns of life.

It is a sad, sad moment in my life
To have this to say to you,
That I and say kind have let you down
With little hope of rescue.

Written by Darshan Manocha