Surviving Greydom

As the heat off the walls seeped out in a greyish haze

Grey somber thoughts swirled in my mind

The dull asphalt road bore no color too

The tea lost its flavor mixed with the cigarette's grey ash.


The mind travelled down alleys long forgotten

In the disappearing corners of this familiar city

Roads that I never took, destinations that I never reached

And gates that I stumbled upon quite unexpectedly.



The night's black filled me with strange forebodings

The forlorn memories let loose the onset of panic

The lepered pavement dweller moaned in his sleep

The one-eyed dog pierced the silence with a wolfish whine.


And suddenly a cool breeze stirred the stifling night air

The lone petal of a flower landed at my feet

I looked above and found a resplendent gulmohr

The falling blood red petals punctuated the greydom around.


I saw that the dog cooed happily as the beggar tickled its belly

The ashen road was covered with a carpet of fiery scarlet

I shook off my thoughts and refilled my tea cup

And walked towards the horizon speckled with the crimson promise of dawn.