STEERING

The light at the tunnel's end,
Fading into a close.
14 rupees have been consumed;
A fog in the chest.
The faintness of memory,
A blurry of the smoke
While the world lay still,
For a brief moment,
And then resumed
All in fast forward.

A white darkness in the face
And steering responsibility at hand;
Father bends, unknown
To a road not taken.
We shudder inside
And shriek on the outside
And live another day
To make all the difference.
The temples and books
Remained on their pedestals
While father shifted in third gear
Driving us further into life.

-K.G.
(To my Father)