A common feature mostly, of the human race, is to look upon in disdain and contempt, perhaps often with a tad topping of pity, towards that, (better yet), those homeless; them who have no place to call home and have claimed the streets to be it, both quadruped and the bi-ped. Justifiable the reaction, you could assert, for reasons comprehensible. The ruling, I leave to each his own.
Today I share what I gained at such a sight, of life on the streets. An insight into what bonding truly means; A connection of the kind which I know to be present but never quite as tangible and at such profundity.
Down one of the streets which I frequented, in a city I could well call my own, I came across a girl of about 17 -20, which, I couldn’t tell because of her unkempt form; frail and petite she was, draped in rags. On one shoulder was slung a sack, oversized, stuffed and flowing -over with all her day’s road-side finds, would be my best guess. That was the preamble.
On the next chance encounter, I spotted her down the road between running and skipping, with interspersed jubilant shrieks of incoherent words. Suddenly she had a dog running behind her and just as quickly a pack was on her trail, but they were not chasing her with snarls and threatening growls as would be the case with street dogs usually. With wagging tails and pleasant smiles beaming at her, they appeared but as euphoric as she, keeping pace with her joviality.
Digging deep into her bag of fortunes she pulled out something and standing on tip-toe to be out of reach of the eager famished mouths, she distributed it equally one by one, not missing out on any. Managing to save up on a small bit for herself, she relished every bite on that one last piece of dry Roti that she had found and so charitably shared with ( from what I now gather to be) her besties.
I couldn’t have been more correct on that assumption because on many a precious moment was I blessed to witness, the exchange of exhilarated cheerfulness between this kin on that street. No words could she utter even if she wanted to, but for the sounds that she came out of her to best express her love for them, her pack, while with reciprocated ardour they covered her with slobbered gratefulness. No better form of communication and knitted bonding could ever be shared between two beings as when they huddle to sleep under the stars night after night, close as a family holding and keeping in the warmth that comes only from a heart bonded out of pure love.
