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The Gypsy's Dream

(Pic: The Sleeping Gypsy, 1897, by Henri Rousseau )

Without a home and definite life
I move on from here to there
Surviving is the only agenda
When I have no one to love or care

The sky above is my valiant roof
The full moon my source of light
My support is an aged bamboo stick
The mandolin my company for the night

I want to be known as someone
But there is nothing special about me
What to do and where to go, I don't know
Miles of desert in front of me I see

I travel barefoot dragging myself
Residue of a feast is my meal
My music does not earn me anything
Others do not understand what I feel

I'm shooed away from most places
They treat me like a dirty tramp
Occasionally I'm given a pitcher of water
As I walk on with sprain or cramp

I'm tired of living this way
With the fear of being hunted or dying alone
The water around me is only a mirage
As hunger and thirst penetrates to my bone

I dream of being a lion one day
As a king living without fear
A day as a lion is any day better
Than a hundred as a frightened deer

Written for The Magpie Tales: Mag 209.

~ Soumya

Comments

  1. Thoughtful and sad, this poem sees into the life of the homeless person.

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  2. Awesome poem Saumya...It was heartfelt the way you used words to sketch the gypsy's feelings and his desire to be a lion as in picture, via dream...U r outstanding, sheer brilliance!

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    1. Thank you so much! Coming for you, its a huge compliment! :)

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  3. Ah what a life that would be!!! A lions than a deer of a gypsy.
    Great one Leo!

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  4. A lone gypsy with a stick in hand possibly in poor health leading a life of misery.
    The rhyming poem brings out well his abject condition

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  5. Surviving is the only agenda for too many people in this world...a sad fact.

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  6. I especially like the lion dream...well done...

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  7. Your rhymes mesmerize me .. and that last para ... wish I had written it :-)

    Loved it !!!

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    1. Haha you write better Amrit! :)

      Thank you so much for the awesome compliment! :)

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  8. A moving version of the ancient Romani story...

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  9. Given with grit and unfortunate truth for the poor gypsy! Hope that dream comes true - Heaven knows she deserves it!

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  10. And a Lion as thoughtful as you? What a delight !
    Not many can have the charm nor the thoughts to be able to get connected with such a variety of subjects. It seems you can any day write on any topic with elegance.
    You refreshed my many thoughts about the painting "The Sleeping Gypsy."

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    1. Wow and wow! Thank you for that wonderful comment Aasyaan! I'm honored, seriously! :)

      I'm glad you liked it!

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  11. You have woven the life of a gypsy perfectly Soumya. And who wouldnt love to live like a lion ;)

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    1. Thank you Jyotsna! Believe me, there are some people content being a deer, or an ass for that matter! :P

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  12. Great! One day as a lion!
    May you have many more days & pen many more of such poems! :)

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  13. Beautifully rhymed poem!! reminded me of popular quote...
    "Better to live one day like a lion Than a thousand sheepishly"

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    1. Oh that's a nice quote! Thanks for sharing and this great comment! :)

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  14. this is one of the best!!! Love it!! So simply written but such a strong current of emotion. The last stanza is overwhelming :)

    Nothing beats the rush you feel when you read or write words that trigger something inside you :) Awesome!

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    1. Wow, that's a wonderful comment! Thank you PJ. I'm glad you liked it! :)

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  15. I really like the imagery in the second stanza. Nice work!

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