I am fine

Stuck in Sunday eve traffic, you’re getting bored as heck,
You’ve reached the end of your newsfeed, there’s nothing more to check.
A boy walks by, his dirty clothes make you frown,
And then you think “Why should I care? I’m going to the best pizza place in town!”

His shoulders drooping with dejection and not school bag,
The boy’s pants are his dead father’s, his shirt’s a former rag.
No, he doesn’t have a soul in this world to look after him,
His little brother waits in his slum, unbelievably joyous to the brim.
Earlier in the morning he came first in his class,
He was promised by his elder brother that he’ll gift anything he asks.
The innocent little soul doesn’t know how much his brother gets kicked around,
His hungry stomach blurts out “I want the best pizza in town! ”
The boy masked his helplessness with a smile, he showed nothing in front.
One pizza costs more than his salary for an entire month.

Not too far away, a girl just celebrated her birthday,
In a mediocre mansion, full of people wanting to run away.
You see, they had come only to update their statuses,
They clicked photos with fake smiles, uploaded like uncontrolled flatuses.
They hardly looked at each other, and left when their cell’s battery died,
No one noticed the birthday girl who at the corner just cried.
Her timeline was full of people she never knew, it made her sad,
And moreover she missed two people who skipped her party, her mom and dad.

The boy had convinced the head cook, he’ll work twice as hard today,
All he needed was a week’s bonus, and by selling mom’s necklace, they’ll be okay.
He kept his promise from dawn to dusk, his body gave out in his hurry,
He tripped over a stray cat in the kitchen, and toppled over the curry.
Hot spatula, hard floor, even his face soon turned black and blue,
The whole street heard the beatings, but no one came to his rescue.

Aeons passed, the girl’s parents didn’t get leave from their boss,
They soon ordered online and sent pizza to their child, with extra sauce.
The little sad soul went to the door through the hollowed halls to receive it.
And then ping came the message “We’re sorry honey, we won’t make it”
Days had passed since she spoke to them like a normal family, face to face,
She had thought at least they’ll do it at her birthday, but that wasn’t the case.
Sadness soon seeped out of her eyes and anger crept in a pace slow,
She charged down the room and threw the box out of the window.

“Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder where you are”
The little boy looks up through traffic beams in search of them afar.
It’s the only rhyme father taught him, the only song he’s close to,
The first tune he sang to his brother, the one he fell asleep to.
Both of them once wished they’ll fly off this world by a rocket,
But now he’s worried how he’ll face him at home with empty pocket.
Suddenly, down came a shooting star, like an aromatic comet,
He knows the smell, he knows the logo on the box, his mind is on it.
He opens the lid, he takes a look around and leaves like a thief to be tried as minor,
His mom once told him: “A breathing man with no life is just a survivor. ”

Your friend catches you staring blankly, he nudges you and asks a question ,
The little kid brings fresh pond water for the wounded brother to freshen,
Her parents return, look at her swollen face and ask ” Oh honey! Didn’t you dine? ”
The three of you carve a soulless grin and blurt out:
“I am fine.”