Jun 19, 2007

People 5

The Fallen Lord of the Bridge

Nightly Prowls of the straying Southwesterly winds. Showers that moisten a dry metropolis. Every street that is some street, every gully that is some gully sequestered with miniature ponds of brown, green and gray. Tyre trenches cut patterns in the soft earth. Twin puddles of emerald. Bright verdant new leaves of spring seeking kinship with the shy hidden moss. A bridge of hardened cement. Work abandoned in the rain.

A man in brown shirt and blue lungi. Sleeves rolled up. Lungi drawn in carelessly between his legs. The Lord of the bridge. A head of tousled lifeless hair, bent down. Loss and weariness screaming out his drooping shoulders.

Is he broke? What ails him? Did an elusive sweetheart shatter his heart? Has a dear one left him to face the world alone ? Did he lose a job? Was it aching bones? Was he a criminal on the run, catching his breath? Was it guilt that weighed him down? Was he shutting out hungry faces back home? Had he bowed down in resingnation to a cruel fate? Was he contemplating something deeper? Perhaps the futile search for the meaning of life?
..............Or was it hangover from the night’s toddy?

10 comments:

Karthik said...

The last must have been the reason. Its reminds me of what a friend keeps telling me - theres this bar which i "frequent". And to come back to my home, u need to cross a subway. And after 10 u find some people like the ones u mentioned. My friend keeps telling me - someday u will end up here :)) That thought scares me so much that whenever i drink and walk back home, i call someone and keep speaking to them until i cross the subway :)))

Karthik said...

Ohh and in any case, i dont wear lungi's !!! :D :D

musafir said...

Nice. I like :) ... especially the way you've woven a lot of colour in. And the rhythm in the first paragraph is pretty good.

You could have taken the questions a little deeper and further though.

And you mean "tousled" hair?

@MK - It would be cool though ... software engineer, MBA-to-be, clad in a lungi and contemplating a hangover on a bridge :D

~SuCh~ said...

@Musafir:

Thanks... Sharp.. you should have made a mark, if you were in the publishing industry, in all roles.. :).. couldnt resist acting upon the suggestions, even tho i hav work... :)

@karthik:

Haha... Take care to stick to your limits... :)

@musafir :
vivid imagination...indeed :)

Rashmi Kantharaja said...

@~such~
Was he shutting out hungry faces back home?

Whole post is a marvel but the above sentence struck a chord.
Good job :)

EnGeetham aka "My Song!" said...

Unfortunately, its all of that *and* the toddy ! Which came first - chicken, I'd guess ! Or was it egg ? ;(. Vivid writing, though

~SuCh~ said...

@rashmi :

Thanks :)

@G:

Good analogy.. :). thanks..

HaRi pRaSaD said...

The first paragraph was nice. Instantly I was reminded of Steinbeck's opening paragraph in "The Grapes of Wrath" were he vividly captures the essence of the air and earth when the first showers appear.

Ramya Shankar said...

Loved the narration! Loved the way you put the entire momentary glance ! :)
First time here, nice blog! :)

~SuCh~ said...

@hari :
Thanks...:)

@ramya:
Welcome.. and thanks.:)