The road downhill

The road downhill
Winding snake-like, creeps
Making me want to just throw up
I shudder as I hurtle down
Deep gorges and valleys

Tight, I shut my eye.

Bumping over potholes
Aching back and numb mind
Eyes sleepless, red with rubbing
A rumbling belly drives me on

That’s all I can think of now!

Piercing through the darkness
Twin swathes of light beam the way
Don’t know what lies beyond

Just pitch darkness, not that I care

I close my eyes into a dreamless sleep
Tired and weary, it’s bliss for a while
Thrown and thrashed by jolts
I wake up with a start, to drift again
Somewhere down the road, the bumps cease
And I wake up in my favourite fantasy

Here I am in the big bad city!

I gaze up in disbelief
Towering high, in the skies above
Glistening in the sun, my eyes squint
I shade them with my cupped palm

My ears get used to the un-nerving din
The wail, cries and roar of the multitude
Voices crying to be heard
Louder and louder the wails
I hold my nose as the stench invades
Rotting dreams or putrid flesh?

The city smells of unwashed hopes
Of a million dreams of sweet success

I swing my rucksack on to my back
My knees buckle, yet I do not fall
Steady on my feet, I take those steps

Into the crowds, I lose myself!

Story ID:	4248
Written by:	MVJ Simon (bio, link, contact, other stories)
Story type:	Poem
Location:	Chennai India
Year:	2008
Person:	MVJ Simon