I wake up to the sound
of crows cawing,
doves cooing
and someone’s cellphone alarm ringing.
Other morning sounds
soon filter in.
Sloshing sounds tell me
someone is taking a bath
with a bucket and a mug.
A pressure cooker whistles somewhere.
The traffic is a low hum
in the background.
Mingling, right now, with
the hum of airconditioners
and the whirring of ceiling fans.
The milkman rings the bell to indicate
he has dropped his sachets in the bag
that hangs outside the door.
The flower seller taps the door to convey
she has hung a string of jasmine
on the door knob.
Somewhere, a radio switches on
to devotional music.
Is someone singing along?
Televisions blare news
and religious discourses.
Maids chatter downstairs
as they arrive for work.
In a few hours, the muted traffic hum
will rise to a dull rumble
punctuated by honking cars,
shrill scooters and deep-growling trucks.
The city will have woken up
and like a beast of prey
it will start to make its presence felt.
Odis Sorel
Savvy Aggarwal
Maria
Arindom Borah
Patrix
Good capture of the “Sounds”…
Thanks. I’d probably not notice them if I were to stay in India longer..
nostalgic! As a new arrival in Zurich the silence, even while in the heart of city, was scary!
Add sound of some one gargling early in the morning in her/his guttural glory
After reading this, am I glad I didn’t hear that one
Graphic!
Thanks!
Brought back memories… the singing always woke me up!
I hope it was melodious
hi ,
surfing through net i came across lekhni, curiosity brought me to you r blog, you write well and the poem linked to lekni is beautiful.
Morning sounds of India brought home sickness so strong , especially when only sound you hear is a wail of siren from police cars and ambulance of LAPD.wish could smell some jasmine flowers….
Thankyou for writing so beautifully. will subscribe your blog
lekha
Oh yes, jasmine flowers. I never cared too much for them while in India, but now their smell reminds me of home.
Lovely….this made me feel so homesick!
I know. Makes me homesick too