Tens of thousands
Of padayatras
No-one quite knows
Exactly how many
Each a matter of
Life and Death
No book howsoever voluminous
Can do justice
To the stories
Each unique
Yet bound together
By a common thread
Much of each journey is
Trudging along
One step at a time
Suddenly there is a ladder of compassion
A helping hand is extended
Some food and water to sustain you
A train that takes you some of the way home
Suddenly there is a snake-hurdle
A hand extended to stop you in your tracks
And send you back to where you came from
To start your journey all over again
Disinfectant sprayed on your meagre food packet
A train that runs over you, ending your journey
Are we not all guilty
Of playing
Snakes and Ladders
With their lives?