TRAVEL LIGHT IF YOU MUST

The man waited at the platform

With a suitcase full of ideas

And a small bag for the journey

Waiting for the train of humanity to arrive.

In the night before, he was barely able to close

The suitcase, so full was it

He had to squeeze and force down

And even sit over it to close

There were simply too many things

For a small sized suitcase.

He had planted himself

Where he thought the ‘General’

Compartment would arrive.

But there were simply too many people

There generally are in ‘unreserved’ compartments.

He had to jostle his way through

Pushing, fretting, fuming

Finding room for himself

And for his suitcase full of ideas;

It was almost a losing battle.

He would have given up

But the dynamics of ‘General’ compartments

Are well suited for going with the flow

As anyone would know

Who’s been in Mumbai ‘locals’.

So eventually he found room for himself

And a little overhead space for his suitcase

But he just couldn’t open it

There was simply not enough space

The train started; the journey began.

It gathered speed

The suitcase, not on firm footing

Fell, but the man scarcely missed it

He was busy sharing goodies from his bag

That he carried for the journey

Others shared too and he found

It wasn’t a bad journey after all.

At the destination, he got down with his bag

That was all that belonged to him

That was all that was needed for the journey.