In the dust and din of the day
Amidst the traffic at the crossing of roads
Staring far into the potholed road ahead
I met a man drumming his fingers
On the steering wheel.
I’m waiting for the light to change, he said.
By the side of the road
Amidst the grime, stray dogs and roar of traffic
I met a ragged man and his ragged wife
Feeding scraps of food to their baby.
We’re waiting for the light to change, they said.
On the far side, watching it all
Stood a man in uniform
A little bit this side and a little bit that
Of the law.
The light has got to change, he said.
The school children by the zebra crossing
The muscled rickshawwallah sweating in the sun
The family of four riding on two wheels
The suited man with the girl in shiny red bridal sari.
They were all waiting for the light to change.
Suddenly,
In a screech of lights and sirens
With a cavalcade of guns, goons and glory boys
A Very Important Person
Went speeding by.
I too think
The light must change, soon
Some day.
Deepak Manchanda writes and strategises about consumer branded packaging for corporates. He likes to express himself with poetry on the side.
Featured image credit: Shubham Shrivastava /Unsplash