Crowded street, An autobiographical poem, June 1982

Crowded Street

Walking through a crowded street one evening,

the traffic rolling down and the bells humming in my ears,
I felt I should never come this way again, for perhaps a lifetime,

or even more than that - a hundred thousand years.

A cart went by and should it find my delicate foot to tread upon,
Or should the milkman's cow whip me with its tail or poke me with its horn!

The smell of sweat-soaked shirts and a dozen dirty pants
Choked me at the throat like the gobar gas¹ plants.

``Let me have a drink'' I said and I looked for my purse.
But it had been picked - what a dreadful unfortunate curse!

As I stared in front of me, ``Bang'' like an arrow
A cyclist came and knocked me down into a huge wheel barrow.

The last I heard was the vendor's shout and a donkey's foolish bray
Then I slept and forgot all till I woke up yesterday.

It was a painful shot and it felled me to my feet.
But at least it got rid of that filthy stinking street.

I have a date today, but hardly can I play the host,
For all my body aches and my wallet aches the most.

NOTES:

[1] Gobar gas is a high-energy environmentally friendly alternative to LPG and CNG. It is produced by the natural decomposition of organic waste matter, primarily cow-dung. Very common in India, it consists primarily of methane and is produced by a process similar to composting. When I eventually had the opportunity to visit an actual gobar gas plant, I found that it was actually very clean and well maintained and furthermore that the gas was clear and odorless.