The gleaming red glow, engulfs the town
Some wake up with a smile, some with a frown
A clockwork is set going, a day starts rolling
Telephones start ringing, alarm bells start tolling.
You can once again hear the ever pestering wife,
Schoolchildren on road, running helter-skelter,
The homeless beggar looking for a shelter…
School bells ring, followed by the office gong,
The car-horns start blowing like a rhythm less song.
Traffic signals are blinking – red light, green light,
The sun is at its peak, it’s shining ever bright.
Now the city slows down, half a day has gone,
Yet very little worthwhile has been done.
It’s time for lunch boxes to come out the bags,
And everywhere around you hear political gags.
Schools are now closing; you can hear the bells again,
The children now return: the white shirts have mud stain.
Shopkeepers now count, if they made gain or loss.
Employees are flattering and praising their boss.
As the diminishing sun goes lower and lower,
For offices and firms, it’s now ‘time over’.
The roads once again fill up with cars,
In the semi dark sky we see traces of stars.
It’s hard to breathe the polluted air,
But we make do with it, we hardlycare.
People have started rushing out to shopping malls,
The crowd has started pouring into restaurant halls.
The day ends for some, for some it’s just begun,
As if the moonrise is like the rise of the sun.
Darkness blankets the town, now it’s moon’s kingdom. . .
The nightlife of the city has a newfound freedom.
Some sleep at night, some during day,
But the city never sleeps – be it January or May.
The clockwork of the city goes on and on . . .
From dawn to dusk, then again dusk to dawn.
