1) A strange pleasure he found in building
homes
Cementing bricks in patterns grand
An architectural wonder by builders
planned
With symmetrical arches and domes.
2) All dimensions he remembered well
His trustworthy words accepted by all
He took care not to waste his earnings at all
Till achieving his goals he worked under
spell.
3) He joined as a migrant worker in fact
Twenty solid years he toiled hard
Just for bare wages under the landlord
Living in dusty sheds suffering a lot.
4) His father too lived as a worker once
Bearing hefty loads of bricks and stones;
To sustain his family he took heavy loans
He drank a lot to drown his tensions.
5) In drunken stupor he fell from roof
He lost his leg and his future became
A sad burden,helpless and lame
He lost his leg and he had lived aloof.
6) Mani compelled to work from the age of ten
Bearing the burden of family entire
Sacrificing his future dreams and desires
His mother and sister consoled him often
7) Putting his heart and soul he did learn
The art of building with measured plan
Different models and patterns did he scan
A
sense of trust from builders he won.
8) He never tried to rise in crafty ways
Relied on honest work, whatever be the
place
He never cribbed about his troublesome
days
Time changes all—he always says.
9) With a team of workers did he work and
compete
In construction of many homes and flats
He lived still in tiled cottage he
bought
He never tried to earn with lies and deceit.
10) Within his means he tried to educate
His siblings in school, though he
learnt nought;
Whatever he learnt, experience taught
With friendly attitude he treated his
mates.
11) While other masons swelled with sense of
pride
He never boasted of his skills and
ever felt
A sense of contentment with no regrets
He felt happy to see others in big
mansions reside.
12) Though others praised his superb building
skills
He never felt bloated with egotistic
pride
He ever regarded elders’ advice as his
guide
He thought himself a novice to learn
much more still.
13) While others grabbed in haste too many tasks
In selfish hurry with promises false
Mani true to his words bothered not
about loss;
No extra time and money did he ask.
14) In raw cotton dhoti he was clad
With a striped towel wrapped around
his head
Simple meals from home he always had
No drinking bouts; went home to eat his bread.
15) His speech was gentle with a rustic slang
With courtesy he won customers’ hearts
He turned his work into a work of art
To seek his advice many builders
throng.
16) His co-workers treated him as architect great
Though he never higher degrees did not
pursue
His observant eye ever searched for
something new
In spite of growing rich he never forgot
his state.
17) He never felt proud of his name and fame
He always felt happy to help his mates
He honored his commitments and was
never late
As a trustworthy mason well-known he
became.
18) Not hankering after ill-begotten gains
He toiled hard with due attention to
work
Due credit he got, not mere stroke of
luck;
Love, trust and faith enhance true peace
divine.
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6th June, 2020 Somaseshu Gutala
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6th June, 2020 Somaseshu Gutala
