A tragic woman

Today
I see a tragic woman
From inside my car
10,000 cars beside me
In a traffic jam

This woman
Tapping her scintillating umbrella
On the entirely granite
Hard English-made metal
Of a bridge (as ancient as her)
Having bi-lingual thoughts


Sliding across the bridge
She stumbles on a ripe pumpkin
Rolling down from the vegetable market
She unclenches her fist
To scatter polished grains for pigeons
All of whom disintegrate
Due to a bolt of lightening
Causing confusion
Among the locals

Time halts

Thoughts criss-cross

This is what I see
Noisy motor engines, cars annoyed
The woman rests her forehead
On a solar street-lamp
A waft of paalak and pudhina
Till the earth shudders
A little volcano erupts beneath her feet

She breathes, again

Time re-starts

She looks up
Sees me
Smiles

I try to reciprocate

I can't

Her sadness has engulfed me