Strangers
written by: Nafisa Shabbir
The sun shines brightly in the sky
The cows, munching cud, lazily lie
Flies hover near them, until they swish their tails
But their attempts to drive them off, on the whole, fail.
The dogs sit contentedly, growling now and then
Whenever they perceive a cat or a hen
The goats bleat slowly in their lazy old way
Watching the chicks run around the hay.
A few tramps stop by the gate, meaning to beg alms
They are alert for a chance to steal, about which they have no qualms
Loud barking startles them. Where are the dogs
They turn around in fear, but only see some hogs.
Slowly, the tramps move off, tired of a long wait
Cursing almost everyone, and above all, their fate
Once more calmness settles in, it’s an ordinary farm day
Everybody feels contented on this sultry day in May.
