Life at a stop

For anyone living in the city, traffic jams are as much part of our lives as getting up, having food, going back to sleep, and other such mundane things. Curse them, bless them, or just sulk and ruin your mood, the one thing that you cannot do is ignore them. This poem was penned down while I was caught in one such traffic jam.

I sit in the bus staring out the window

Wondering at the chaos and the melee under the streetlight's glow

The cacophony of noises makes my head go woozy

The smoke and dust make everything seem hazy.

The sun is setting and the tempers rising

The bikes find their way while the cars keep on honking.

A stream of expletives here and the waving of fists there

Frustration, despair, and anger cloud the very air.

Like a matador in the ring, the signal waves red

Standing tall and stoic, it makes you wither under its gaze

It has a will of its own and cares not for the throng

You can do naught but wait 'til it waves you along.

Put one foot wrong and the guardians come calling

They make you beg and whimper, till you are a sight too appalling

Portly and bumbling, they form a strange tribe,

law-breakers they call us though they don't say no to a bribe.

A moment's hesitation and you miss an opportunity

to snake up your way through the rabble of the city.

A scratch on the fender, a dent in the door,

each scar on a ride speaks tales galore.

Mundane things in life can pose great ironies

Raising questions strange which forever remain mysteries.

For the answers lie in the very essence of human nature,

which after thousands of years is still a conjecture.

Life's too fast, there's no time to smell the roses,

is the reason often offered for the lack of reposes.

And yet caught in the slow lane raises angry voices,

and makes one wonder about the sanity of the masses.

For isn't this a time to sit back and relax,

listen to a song till reality pulls you back.

My mind whirls in confusion, these thoughts clattering inside,

as the signal gives a nod and we carry on with our ride.