How old is he?
who knows?
seventy, eighty, or in between
A tall man, once athletic,
now wizened and frail,
but managing his empire with flair
A tin shed with wooden floor
a 9-watt bulb, four dusty shelves
and some pots and jars and tins
An aged table, a weighing scale
for grocery and vegetables, a few
packets of salt and washing powder
A faulty rusted table fan,
some packets of chips and shampoo
pouches hanging overhead
Gray hair, old white dhoti,
bare feet, ashen frame– a hoary
man and his vast empire
