There is no one for miles around
So you feel like an intruder

Five-twelve in the morning
Outside the shopping mall
And its shutters have been downed.

An old man
Clad in blue-grey security guard uniform
Seated on a red plastic chair
With a bound bible spread open on his lap.

Chants aloud in Tamil
To fight fear and find hope
The prayers that will help him survive
The eighth day of creation.