A silhouette in the dark

As I stand at the corridor smoking my cigarette, I notice a dark shadow beneath my favorite tree. It is a man sitting by the curb. He sits so still it takes me a moment to realize that it isn't a shadow cast from the tree, but that of a Bangalore construction worker sitting and contemplating the passing traffic.

I wonder what he is thinking. He is all alone. He has no friends. The working conditions for Bangalore workers here are appalling, but he is doing this to aid his family back home. He is perhaps doing this so that his family can transcend their caste that they were born into. And, as I see him sit quietly, and so alone, I cannot help but feel the longing he has in his soul, his spirit to be with his love ones... that he might not see his love for another 5 years, that maybe she will forget him. Or that their love will stand the test of time, because it is one borne out of real bonds. I don't know. I can only speculate.

But as I look on, I can't help but feel incredibly small. Weak. That I am suddenly feeling a longing, a missing for someone... someone that I haven't spoken to for only a few days. Strange. But yes, I miss him.