A wishing lash

On a day dry,?warm and clear,

a sinless child upon the pier,

plucked a lash simply to

wish a meagre bowl of barley.

Then blew it into the evening skies

and dived in waters for respite.

It levitated low, then slowly rose

and waited for fate to take its course.

As winds would have it that evening,

it turned to land and kept creeping.

It flew above the lanes so posh and

swept lower to wealthy tosh.

As none could see the wishing lash,

it left the lane, went up in flash and

fluttered further the note in sky

to find a busy market nearby.

As the common folk hustled past,

yet none heeded the wish alas.

It winged its way across the lane and

found men braving fists insane.

So rushed away the lash to

elude the brutal?exchange.

Then swish it did into?slogans loud?

of?a?crowd cogent, young and old.

But the revolution drowned it's plea

and away the dream did flee.

At a long last did it finally rest upon

a leaf of lo the so wished barley.

Urging some relief of its host, it

fell?onto?soil and became compost.

~Prateek Khare