Poem : The Clan of Lone Walkers

He walked alone, on a lonely path,

He looked like he really needed a bath,

Yet, there was this glint in his eyes,

As if he was, a prince in disguise,

Like he had a vision, he wouldn’t disclose,

But still ignorant townsfolk made fun of his nose,

He walked all day from morn to night,

resting only to see the stars shine bright,

Stopping in the day for a meal in the shade,

He showed no fear of any criminal’s blade,

I once offered him water when I was a child,

And then one day our paths crossed again

He only mumbled this in his voice so mild,

“I am no priest, I am no saint

I am not artist and I cannot paint

I seek no grail, I seek no crown

And On no one’s face will I cause a frown,

I just want to explore the lands

Unravel the mountains, seas and sands,

And when my day cometh and I must go,

I want the whole world to know,

That I did my best to make a mark,

And just before my eyes go dark,

I remember those whose lives I touch,

even if only ever so much,

That those who just let their days go by,

I can only utter a sigh,

One must do what one wants in life,

As long as it causes no one unnecessary strife,

Remember there are those who cannot hear, smell or see,

This rests on those powers that be,

One cannot fight ones fate,

And at any given rate,

I have spoken too much as old men do,

You are a man with many years ahead,

I hope you hold yourself in good stead,

I wish you well, do what you will,“

With that the man lay to rest,

And I carried on with my lifes own quest,

  

Till one day I realized I was a worn old man,

And then I met another young lad on his moving van,

We shared a meal under the shade of a tree

And gave him the message, one that I never forgot,

Just when I left that man,

I then realized we were part of a little secret clan,

Whilst the world carries on with menial tasks,

At home, at work, wearing different masks,

There are those people, who do what they like,

And have no regrets at their end of time,

Whence this clan will grow in size,

This world may have a little less vice.

This Clan of Lone Walkers still cherishes the earth,

Lives life to its fullest and looks at the rest with purest mirth. 

- Digvijay Pande