Mamta Agarwal - While Going On A Highway

We were going on a holiday,
And as we came on the highway.
I quietly prayed
For one nagging fact
Was weighing on my mind-
The state of the highway and the bumpy ride.

I shifted my glance to the wayside farms,
And tried to remain calm.
Though my nerves were taut
I took out my pen and pad and wrote.

Soon my mind got distracted,
And the sights of the road attracted
And aroused my sense of humour.
I was overcome with fervour.

A herd of donkeys and a truck overloaded with sugarcane
Caught my eye from the windowpane,
There were pedestrians and cyclists
Who were trying to save themselves from being hit.

In a mad race
All trying to find space.
I began to feel light
It was truly a sight.

The road was full of chaos
It filled me with pathos.
Blaring horns, mad rush to overtake,
Who cares if others lives are at stake?

Is India really on the move?
The traffic on the road didn’t prove.
We really have no civic sense,
I helplessly felt.

I put my head against the back rest
And recalled the expressions of the guests,
From overseas, who are amazed
How we can drive and remain unfazed.

I said it is not really funny,
But the truth is we put our fate in the hands of destiny.

Mamta Agarwal

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/while-going-on-a-highway/