A Cog In the Machine

A mere civil clerk, in his fifties; tall and bent, Leading a calm life, with none any argument; Albert Camus, in his well-known novel, the Plague, Makes Joseph Grand, hero; though, visibly, seems vague...! He could not succeed earning a decent income, His conflicts with his wife, he could not overcome; Thought of inconsequential nature filled his head, Much were his complexes; he could not go-ahead...! Strange plague breaks out in the tranquil town of Oran. Brings great glories to degradation thereupon; Not paying much thought to these, Joseph just exists, Musing on his writing, un-begun, he turns; twists...! When floods of plight start flowing above neck-level, And smells of plague turn into scents of death-devil; When kith of dead start rushing to register names, Grand feels the zeitgeist as though moving toward flames...! Foreseeing, with common sense, events that could dawn, Joseph involves; and strategically moves on; He maintains perfect records of the affected, Service of doctors, hence, proceeds as they expected...! He falls victim in this process of his service, He recovers; though bodily weak, not nervous; It does, no doubt, owe his stupendous faithfulness, Oran, in its curing process, gains great progress...! Though, till then, Joseph Grand thought his worth was nothing (?) He understood, even a cog, means everything; This thought, though did not create in him egotism, No doubt, had sown in him, good seeds of altruism...!!! 26 April 2022 Pick-A-Title, Vol 30 - Poetry Contest Sponsored by: Edward Ibeh Enter Contest