Receiving as I Give

Had a strange, unquantifiable desire to volunteer today. Perhaps I've lost touch with the inner self, perhaps I'm missing the simple joys of yesteryear or perhaps I'm just tired of the materialism, self-absorption and power plays around me.

Made a determined decision to volunteer, despite the fact that I had to travel to and fro between several places and flit between commitments. Was glad to do it. A choice that i wouldn't resent.

Wandering around the compound,
desperately seeking.
Where are they?
Why is the place empty?

I shuffle past cool, metallic structures,
hard, definite concrete.
The compound is sprawling,
maze-like.

I listen to the sound of human absence
while fingering my wrist.

A strain of lilting laughter
filters through the environment.
It is a welcomed surprise.

With hastening pace, I move
towards the source.
For some reason,
the closer I get,
the slower I move.

This is what I see:

People who give without expecting returns;
People who smile brilliantly
and perhaps have the least reasons to;

People who sit in corners,
bored and sleepy;
People who sullenly stare.

It is, at once,
an escape from the reality
and a confrontation too.

Understanding what bone-deep weariness means.

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