Freezing into cold dark nights
Numbed under the warm sunlight
Shivers run down a street kid’s body
The city breathes a smoky sigh
Narrow streets
Of the enduring walls
tell a thousand tales
The old man calmly fixes his cycle
His rustic brown sweater as young as his heart
A city woman rushes out with her school toddler
Shielded in more layers than a ripe onion
The rickshaw puller sips
His brewing cup of chai
A lover picks the shiniest red rose
From the little beaming flower shop
On the street side
As the last ray of sun
Pleads to depart
Silence fills the once so lively streets
And the red sandstone walls
Seem to lose their sheen
The tiny lonely black dog
finds the sunniest spot on the road to sleep
A little girl comes running
to cover him up
with her oblivious red scarf
The burning flames of wood fire
become the only lights to gleam
Sound of city horns drown out
When they hear the winds scream
Nights cry to stay a little longer
Days yearn for a cocooned corner
The frozen walls
Await a warm shoulder
To lean on them
With a touch to smolder.
Jaipur Beat 