The Green-Man

This morning full of smog and

breathing problems, despite them, mask

the sky and ground covered in

dull shroud for the population of

the NCR (National Capital Region),

India, the Republic, where citizenry

matters not,

Little Rahul bursts into the room

of his dad, working from home, and

announces, thrilled: "I am the Green-man!

The New-Age superhero for an ailing planet!"

"Wow!" exclaims the dad, a high-tech professional,

busy as usual.

"What next?"He asks his son in baritone.

"Oh!" confides Rahul, wearing the green goggles and

a trailing robe, "I will fly out into the universe and try to plugin

the holes in the ozone layer."

"My Gawd!" shouts dad. "Real superhero! Saving the

galaxies!"

Rahul smiles: "I will have a secret top-priority mission."

"What is that, kiddo?"

"Re-greening the bald earth by planting trees

and outlawing plastic that chokes and kills marine

and other lives, rivers and pollutants that poison air."

"Great agenda, son!" exclaims the dad, returning to his smart-phone

for messages and other stuff.

"Will you join me in that campaign, Pa?" asks the nine-year-old to

an authority-figure that has become suddenly

absent in the same room.