Sunday 27 March 2016

Tea stall

Steam engines are no longer
seen on the railway tracks;
coal dust bothers no one anymore.
But trains still stop at this station
at all hours of the day.
As people come down
to loosen their limbs,
many look around to locate
the tea stall
on platform number three;
like all myths,
this has also become a folklore now.
The small boy with a kettle
helping his father
has now grown into an image
larger than life.
Belief has its own set of rules
either you follow them
or you don't.
Shadows that grow bigger
as long as you walk away from light.
Here and there,
often when the need arise,
the kettle is warmed to reheat
the fresh chai served to passengers.
The Chaiwallah knows well ,
on a train journey, nobody minds the taste;
as long as the chai is warm and sweet.
Because they want a cup of tea
more than anything else.

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