Delhi Summer, Early Afternoon

The day divides into uneven
                           pieces, the morning
lies peaceful somewhere
on the streets; at the airport, the early afternoon,
as always, stays forever; the evening lies
strewn all over the bazaar
the night sleeps in the fields
              beyond the city limits
              with all its baggage,
              silently places a bundle
next to us in our sleep and slips away.

Where to look, where to find –
in this city the season in all its ways is always appealing,
               at times when for death
the body even at noon wants to freeze
like ice, sometimes for love-making
when near the heart,      the ice
                eager to melt
wants to just melt away.

No complaints against any of summer’s excesses
                 let this season lie around here
                 in its new costume
peacefully,          all through the afternoon,
Let trees remain standing out there unmindful,      in the open air.

DELHI SUMMER, EARLY AFTERNOON