What I need right now is a walk across
the Baatla-house chowk, from where
I would take a left to Zakir-Nagar
the bustling adobe of cheerfulness; of fleeting lights; a phantasmagoria of breath, and sweat;
What I need right now is a stroll across
the lawns, towards central canteen,
where I would take a tea, on that round concrete table a bit harsh on the arse;
If only the bees would hover around my cup,
like they did then. If only a squirrel
I could see, nibbling hard on a peanut,
like a child eating cookie the very first time.
What I need right now is the company of people with whom I hardly talked but
fell in love with the familiarity of whose faces;
The monotony of chance encounters
seized with an awkward ‘hi’.
An abundance of peace and silence is misery,
and what we need sometimes is noise; the hustle-bustle; the commotion;
so we don’t have to hear the ringing in our ears,
and our sad hearts beating.