He dresses up fine, neat and clean.

He wishes to be recognised and seen. 

He wakes up before everyone does, 

And rests for the day after everyone goes. 

 

The dean expected his visits every morning 

To listen to the instructions and cussing. 

He was instructed to wipe the black-boards

And pristinely mop the basket-ball court. 

 

But he always made notes before wiping,

And shot a few clean-dunks before moping.

He had to scrub and whiten the washrooms, 

And arrange the benches in the classrooms.

 

But he also washed himself late in the night,

And slept on a bench before setting it right.

He was often told that he belonged to the streets

As his mother had odd-jobs to match her family needs.

 

She had made sure that there was enough food to feed,

And that they had warm-shelter and a bed to sleep.

She had made sure that he and his siblings

Didn’t have to face any troubles or stings.

 

In her absence, he takes care of his brother,

His sister and makes sure that they’re together,  

And no matter what the world speaks of her,

He never lets it get to his head, or bother.

 

He’d peep into the classes at times

As he’d sweep and clean the tiles,

He’d imagine himself as the class-monitor,

But the reality was that he was just a janitor.

 

He’d often collect the question papers

Which were crushed and thrown in the corners.

He’d solve the tricky-problems with reasons

And grow intellectually with the seasons.  

 

I remember that unfortunate day,

When he had served the tea in the tray,

And the wind had pushed the door shut

With a thud, making the dean go nuts.

 

He hadn't slammed the door,

Yet he was punished to the core. 

He was asked to sweep the floor

Round and round, all over again.

 

And he had to accept it with pain, 

There wasn't an option to bargain. 

An utter of word out of his mouth

Was considered as a fault and a sin.

 

He worked for an educational institution

Where sympathy belonged in the bin.

He had tried to make friends with the teens

But his efforts had gone unnoticed and unseen. 

 

He dreams of building an institution someday,

Educating the unfortunate and needy ones like him,

Providing them with food and not letting them pay.

He’d not let a single light in the night go dim

 

For the students could eat, sleep, study or play.

He’d make sure that an under-aged will study

And not work, or be a constant labour on duty.

He’d make sure that the kids enjoyed their stay.

 

I dream of teaming-up with him someday,

I know that he is special and one-of-a-kind,

And that a person like him is hard to find -

A person with eager eyes and a curious mind.