The Unspoken Language of the City

How many times have I tried to understand

The unspoken language of the city

Unspoken yet not unheard

Breaking out of cracks and crevices

Glaring amidst the many we speak and comprehend

Its grip often accompanies a brisk glance,

Sneaking into the rare moments of silence

Within a noisy traffic jam,

Through the awkward conversation between

The glistening multi-storey and the slum shabby and dark

Heard sometimes fairly loud

While traversing the gems of architecture,

Mesmerising constructions and stupendous infrastructure but

Unable to veil people who raised them with bricks and mortar

Struggling along a roadside shelter

Heard in the loneliness of the crowd

And in noises within the lonely

Murmurs that follow the pacing millions

Trying to find the promises of plenty

Only to settle for what was meant to be overcome – the scarcity!

The unspoken language of the city

Discover its lexicon and grammar, if any

To emancipate it from the cryptic existence

Making its expression vocal

That the silences can seek liberation!

This poem first appeared on Shailza’s blog Thought Voyage. Read it here.

Featured image credit: Pariplab Chakraborty