Simple Happiness and the Little Sorrows

In a Facebook literary group, a friend Sundar Rajan  posted  this picture.  He sought poems from members based on the picture. This is what I came up with ..

We, rather our ancestors chose

fishing for a living 

Like anyone else

our lives too are a mixture

of pain and pleasure 

of simple happiness and little sorrows

We face risks aplenty, though

uncertain source of livelihood 

when red alerts declared 

tough times when dark clouds 

are followed by floods and cyclones! 

We are rarely remembered 

in fact mostly forgotten

even by those having 

a hearty meal of fish curry rice

or a tasty dish of fried fish or prawns.. 

Sometimes noticed, when ideas strike

to make money filming our environs

of blue sky, the blue ocean

natural beauty in all it's glory 

Movies  are then made of "little fish" 

'boatman' going fishing 

or being a "Friend of fisherman" 

then, forgotten soon after the movie is a hit! 

It is the same story at the time of floods

we take our boats on narrow roads

to save lives, supply food to stranded people 

for some time you clap, hail us as heroes

put up our  flex boards like those of film stars!  

Soon , life is back to normal 

no one cares of  boats damaged in rescue

not realizing , bothering that the damage

is to our very livelihood!

 

Soon the flex boards of film stars are back 

replacing us easily, our utility no more

who cares for the curry leaves 

after the meal is done!

In this picture though we are not grumpy

the catch after all, isn't so bad today 

it is these little pleasures that are the silver lining

in the lives of us fisher folk...

Filled with, the simple happiness

and the little sorrows....