The Railway and The Beggar I Poem By Nandana,12,Chennai
Nandana from Chennai writes a poem that magnifies the pains of waiting in poverty.The poet emphasizes on the beggar’s feelings and a close relationship of his sad life with the events happening daily around him.
The Railway and The Beggar
For years he was waiting,
Waiting and waiting,
Staring at the blue and colourful trains,
Which arrived and departed.
He was fascinated,
Though his life was in rags,
His life was scattered,
With a bowl in his old and frail hands.
It took him a while to fix the puzzle,
He had come halfway through the pieces,
Just like the train arrived and departed,
People’s money did too.
He would get a few pennies a day,
But not enough for leading his old and happy life again,
His life was like old books,
covered in cobwebs and dust.
The book that was not picked up from the shelf for a long time,
Not picked or fixed again,
It was like a broken train which cannot run anymore,
His life was halted at the station forever.
One does not realise when he walks past a beggar,
Throwing pennies at him,
Wondering if he would do something wrong with it.
There were some beggars who would use it wrongly,
But this beggar didn’t.
All a penny or note would bring him, was happiness,
It would make him realise that there are good people.
So spare a penny if you walk past,
And help his train move forward.
***
Pic : Nandana Murali
7 Responses
The broken train, old book, arrival n departure, fixing puzzle… are very nice analogies you have used here.
A thoughtful poem ..
keep it up dear 👏👏👏☺️
Thank you so much! Thank you for your compliment too! I will be sure to continue implementing them in my further poems. Thank you!
Good,whenever I offer to beggars I too think whether their need is genuine,still I continue,may be it will reach someone as you have mentioned in your poem.Very well expressed,keep it up.
I admire nandana’s skill in bringing life in words and drawing, her minute observation at this age and penning down reality
Great give us more of your thoughts
From your sorrow-filled yet beautiful words, I can understand how a 12-year-old would feel seeing the plight of a beggar. Your metaphorical comparison of the beggar’s life with a broken train lying stranded in a station is deep and thought-provoking. My best wishes to you dear Nandhana👍
Beautifully written. Hats off, Nandana !!
Thank you so much! Thank you for your compliment too! I will be sure to continue implementing them in my further poems. Thank you!