Eyes listless, sunk deep and cast down,
A reflection of the burden,
Carried at an age so tender,
Thrashing the dreams of childhood!

Yet, occasionally, a ray of light invades
The eyes, as it roams all about the coach, so crowded
Searching for a buyer prospective
For his wares, precious.

Cute little teddies, he has
In colors varied, hanging from rings
Used to secure a lock,
Or the key to a door locked.

Take it, twist it and return it
They all do – satiating curiosity idle.
A sale or four is all he makes
Barely enough for the day’s meal!

As dusk falls, and the crowd disperses,
He gets off the coach and onto the station,
With hurried steps taking him homewards
And into the arms of the widow, invalid.

He hands over his earnings, meager
As she prepares the first meal of the day.
She counts the pennies ruefully,
Ha! Just enough for another meal.

She curses, yet again
The quirk of fate that has confined her
To this thatched shelter
They call home.

Though in the same breath
She warmly remembers that fateful night
When blessed she became, with her bundle of joy
Pillar to her he is, though still a child.