It continues
past midnight
from early dawn-
Street sounds.
Motorbikes burn rubber
down narrow lanes
teeming with transport,
rattling mudguards
vie with bursts of loud exhaust fumes.
Drivers honk maliciously-
Yes, I see your distorted faces
hurling abuses at the passersby –
or the neglected helpless strays,
that yelp in unwanted pain,
the clamour continues.
Stop. Please.
Let me hear
the chimes of a distant chapel,
the call to prayers,
the tinkling of bells at the temple.
Let me read
my book in peace,
perchance later, be induced to sleep?
JMT 14 February 2021
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Published by Jayshree Tripathi
Jayshree Tripathi has lived in diverse cultures for over thirty years. Her late husband was a career diplomat in the Indian Civil Service. Jayshree received her Master of Arts Degree in English Literature from Delhi University (1978) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Rights Law (2001, Distance Education Programme) from the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru. She has been an educator and examiner in English Language and Literature for the International Baccalaureate Organization and their trained Consultant. Jayshree has worked in print media in the late ’70s and ’80s and calls herself an 'arranger of words', of narrative verse and short fiction. She continues in raising awareness about adult literacy in India and ‘women helping women’- #HelpHerWalkForward. Jayshree, as the eldest of five daughters, includes her maiden surname in her writing. On Twitter @JayMTrips. On LinkedIn https://in.linkedin.com/in/jayshreemtripathi
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