by Minal Sarosh
On the gantry the red pigeon bead eye flashes. We halt.
An urban caterpillar, suddenly, pinched, picked,
still alive cars, scooters, bus, wriggling wangling,
caught in its hungry gray beak.
The wheels of the car ahead stop, an owl screeching scratching,
on the hot tar road, clinging, clawing,
a honk behind catches cold, coughing, cuffing.
And the rushing ambulance‘s beacon is wailing, warning,
death doesn’t seem to have time to wait for anyone.
Time puts an impatient foot on the cycle pedal, pausing, puffing.
I tune in the FM radio, a voice is jingling jangling
a song on packaged tour mountains and photogenic snow.
Then a stiff knuckle on my window, tapping, trying,
a pleading dirt speckled face and a beggar baby crying, cooing.
I wind down further, the glass of compassion
to hear her desert hunger screaming, shocking,
shattering the silence with which the pink bougainvilleas
on the dividers were growing, grinning,
at my tool room scowls, in this deafening machine world.
- Share this Poem:
ABOUT THE POET ~
Minal Sarosh is a post graduate in English literature. She has a collection of her poems Mitosis and Other Poems published by Writers Workshop, Kolkata in 1992. Many of her poems have appeared in Indian Literature, Times of India, Ahmedabad, Femina, Journal of Poetry Society (India), Chandrabhaga, Emerging Voices, Voices of Hope, The Silken Web and Winners Vol.III (Unison Publications), I Me Myself, Winners of the Unisun-Reliance Timeout Poetry Contest 2005 (Unisun Publications, Bangalore) and ‘Soul Feathers’ (Indigo Dreams Publishing Ltd, U.K.), . Besides, her poems have also appeared in online journals like Muse India, Asia Writes, Danse Macabre, Other Voices International Project, The Brown Critique and Nether., She has won awards in All India Poetry Competition 2005 (Poetry Society (India) Delhi, Creative Writing Competition 2006 of Unisun Publications, Bangalore and SMS Poetry Competition 2007 and 2008 Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai., She lives in Ahmedabad, India.
Last updated August 20, 2011