mumbai diary iii

staring at the arabian sea

i asked him
'where will you reach if you walk straight
across the waters ...?'

'ecuador, i guess...err..ummm... ethiopia...'

what was it?
his (non) sense of geography
or (bad) sense of humour?

i still wonder...

mumbai diary ii

under the queen's necklace
i stroll on the wide footpath

i bump into
malishwallahs
chaiwallahs
bhelwallahs

also
young joggers
evening-walkers
love-makers

i gulp the energy
i swallow the twilight
i drink the sea breeze
insatiably

in the city that never ever sleeps...

mumbai diary I

the over exasperated sea
with its grayish blue
enchantment and the
twinkling orange nights
under the dusky sky

frantic screams
shunting trains
foggy mornings
sticky crowds
flashy roads
running victorias

a gloomy day starts to melt
into a dazzling night…

with a deep sigh…

sleep on...

You who are not kept anxiously awake for love's sake, sleep on.
In restless search for that river, we hurry along;
you whose heart such anxiety has not disturbed, sleep on.
Love's place is out beyond the many separate sects;
since you love choosing and excluding, sleep on.
Love's dawn cup is our sunrise, his dusk our supper;
you whose longing is for sweets and whose passion is for supper, sleep on.
In search of the philosopher's stone, we are melting like copper;
you whose philosopher's stone is cushion and pillow, sleep on.
I have abandoned hope for my brain and head; you who wish for
a clear head and fresh brain, sleep on.
I have torn speech like a tattered robe and let words go;
you who are still dressed in your clothes, sleep on.

--

rumi