Wake Up, My Friend

Today you woke up to the world

Scrolling down through your Facebook feed

Deteriorating Indo Pak relationships, 

Syrian child's face soaked in blood and white, 

Trump's new sexist statement, 

A new #MeToo calls out, 

Deep-veer wedding picture, 

PM Modi's Japan trip, 

A Jawan killed. 

It's a bad, mad world indeed.

Then you woke up to a million thoughts, 

Electricity bill, house rent, 

Deadlines, and dead ends. 

Your son's five-figure school fees, 

Your wrinkling mother 

Whom you haven't visited ever since, 

Chapters to finish, 

The report card hid under the bedsheets, 

The greying hair and the dark circles, so deep.

And you rushed down the old building, 

Squeezed yourself through the busy street, 

You fought the cold wind, 

Gasped for air in the crowded bus, 

Reached your holy grail, 

Ate cold food, abused a few, 

And got abused too, 

Heard your mum complain about 

To the neighbour next door, 

And finally, you escaped reality, 

Hit the bed and found your peace.

But then a thought woke you up again 

When you realized that

Today you forgot to breathe. 

The same feeble voice asked you again 

Like it did last night and every day before it. 

Where are you going, my friend?