In the library surrounded by books

And studious students preparing for national exams

I read a bunch of poems which I don’t understand

Nursing a boggled brain, I go outside to catch a breath

Just to be greeted by the librarian who asks if I’m alright

A fidgety answer follows and I pick my bag and leave

Suddenly feeling optimistic, I head to the nearby clinic

Thinking maybe the soot of hard times 

Can be medicated by a token every month-end

At the clinic, I am greeted by a young man

Who is holding a plate of rice

I introduce myself and tell him why I’m there

He demeaningly tells me, “There is no vacancy here”

While eyeing his plate like I’m about to snatch it from him

I leave, eyes staring the hard ground

That’s how I know living is not for the faint-hearted.