Shades of Passion

As I walked, with my world in and on my mind

Faces looked at me and looked away

Some lingered on for a trifle longer

Some leering, some uncaring, some indifferent

.

I walked on, clutching at my world tighter

For, I didn’t want these faces to peer into it

Some faces smiled slyly at me

And I rushed forward, pretending not to notice

.

The sea of faces surrounded me from all sides

I flailed my hands, trying to surface

The walls closed aroud me

And the portraits on these walls stifled me

.

And then, came this wrinkled face

Old, maybe even tired

But the smile took my breath away

She smiled at me, as if she understood

.

My desperation to flee from these faces

Her eyes gleamed understanding as she smiled on

Time froze around me as my thoughts flowed

I smiled back, my heart and soul into it

.

For that fraction of a second, all faded

All that remained was me and that smile

The leers forgotten, the sly smiles buried

The world lit up, bright and cheerful

.

I walked on, to pursue what I wanted

But the smile remained, etched on my face

For I shall never forget, that stranger’s smile

The droplet that pushed the ocean back……………….

.

- Pritesh

(This incident is from my life when a smile from an old lady brightened my day……….)