Sordid State.

A ritual all along
 from birth to death
crowds the mind
before a baby is born
 there is a ceremony
 where medicine is given to the mother
 followed by a pilgrimage
 then comes the ceremony of the bangles
 goes the mother to her mother's place
 a function and a lunch
 the child is born
 the in laws come to see the child
 the sixteenth day function
 the naming ceremony
 then back to the in laws house
 a feast and gifts continue
 an exchange of cash and material on both sides
 the child grows  into a boy or a girl
 if a girl when she attains a puberty
 a celebration with a grand feast and gifts
 goes the girl back to school
 then the marriage has to take place
 the uncles bring a load of gifts along with their relations
 a feast and distribution  is on the anvil
 not a man is allowed to die in peace
 if he dies again the rituals interfere
 a gift whatsoever in the form of tiny vessels are found
 along with some cash in a cover
 all these are enough for a lifetime
 the meaning of life is to eat and gift
 what a sordid state mankind is in.