All days may not start well Things may not go to plan Punctuality monsoon will tell Start as early as you can But not always in our hands Things at the mercy of rain Is there any place to stand? In a Mumbai fast local train? More so when it is late Leaving you at the hands of fate Men push, jostle and bicker Place to stand is a premium At your expense, they snicker For a while, it’s pandemonium To and fro, back and forth Swung for all your worth Then the train stops when it shouldn’t Getting further late when it shouldn’t When time comes to alight You are expected to defy gravity Jumping a moving train with no clarity Changing over at Dadar is no delight Later greeted by grime and muck Rain at Lower Parel adds to bad luck Noisy motorists on a narrow street Make your mind admit defeat Reaching office is a relief Your sweat beggars belief Just the start of a long day ahead A miracle not to lose your head
A poem about the vagaries of commuting in Mumbai local trains during the monsoon