A warm tea would do me good
I stopped my car and moved
Towards a dilapidated shed
Where men of all shades
Huddled together puffing beedis
He came after me then
His eyes had a moist glisten
Of ageless friendship
Wagging his tail looking up
At me, placing his paws on my thighs
Stray dog of the mountain pass
His eyes were mascara lined
A beauty to behold
A silky brownness filled with mirth
And wavy musculature
What does he like?
Anything, Sir, that we have here
I bought him a sweet bun
He gulped it at once
Wagging his tail again
Ageless camaraderie in his eyes
I bought him a second bun
Before I drained
The last drops of my steaming tea
Made from what God knows
On that forsaken mountain pass
And as I walked back to my car
In an elemental swirl
Of winds, drizzle, mist and clouds
He was there behind me
With that haunting friendship in his eyes
Friend, our knowing each other
Is perhaps endless
It never had a beginning either
We were together through ages
Births, rebirths, deaths and pangs
Perhaps, you guarded my Neanderthal cave
When I snored inside
Looking at the Moon and wondering
Why the world was made
So beautiful to behold
Or perhaps you sat there in the snow
Outside my igloo freezing
Looked at the white expanse and mused
Why it had to be so awesome
When it bit into the bones
And stiffened the looks even
Of the stars in the heavens
Adieu friend, we are to meet
Again and again in our sojourns
Keep the friendship burning
In your moist eyes, sure am I
You will be there when I breathe
My last on some mountain pass
Sitting at my head, man’s best friend,
What more would a human want?
