listening to the silence

 while walking on the road alone, blank minded and nothing to do,  my eyes stuck on a board. it was a board of elderly's home. don't know why but i automatically turned and went inside that place. 

an uneasy silence was all over that place. dead silence. several old people sitting together but still not talking to each other. two care takers , foul mood and mouthed. like a bad teacher , they were continuously scolding one or other elderly and those unhappy faces following the orders given by their caretakers. 

i stood there, looking at those unhappy faces, trying to feel their pain. the pain which was due to wound on their souls. trying to listen the language of silence in which those old wrinkled faces were talking. but all i could hear was Oh! what is this life and why are we alive? 

suddenly one old woman, around 70 years old came to me and asked, " why are you standing here son? anything needed?" i won't say that she was polite to me, but looking at her made me feel urge to know how does she feel to be in this place.

i shrugged and replied," nothing grandma, just wandering around." 
"ohhh! i thought someone of us got lucky to have their grandson visiting them." the old woman said. i could easily see the sorrow pouring down in her eyes.  before i would have said anything, she moved slowly away from me. and looking at her, i got my answer, how she felt being in that place.

i again stood there on a corner of that place watching all those old people , all of them would be of the age of my grand parents. all were old , wrinkled , tired of their lives, sad and wondering why were they there. after giving around twenty years of their lives to their children, what probably could have they done wrong to pass their last days in this place. 
.
two sad people can never make a place happy. 
.
everyone of them wishing, one day their son or daughter would come and take them away from this gloomy place. but all hopes were dead in those dull eyes. i wondered if even tears would ever come down those eyes. atleast mine had not dried. i could feel the loneliness, they were in. lonely from inside. 
biggest sorrows of their would be , being parents , they couldn't even say to those unthankful beings, who have left them in that place that ," like i am , you would be!" 

after a while, i left that place. heavy hearted. i could feel my lungs not accepting enough air needed for my body. i guess i was filled with the sorrow and agony of that place. 
and in the end i was left with same question like all those old people , WHY?

kaale badal baras gaye, 
ab safed ye asmaan hai,
in budhi haddiyo ke abhi bhi kuch arman hai.

nanhi si ungli thaam ke jisko chalna tha sikhaya,
ab sahara dene me uss ladle ki ghatti shaan hai.
jaan to nikal jaati  is bejan shareer se,
par kya karu ,
in budhi haddiyo ke abhi bhi kuch armaan hai.