Pickle jar compartment with human bodies
piled on one another with your body parts
scarcely distinguishable from another's
sweaty polyester-shirted body on the upper berth
munching peanuts with an indecent crunch
discarding shells on the floor with gay abandon
spreading the pyorrheal breath
the bathroom door half-open
with masses of human excreta
railway meal plates with pastes
of half-mixed rice and sambar
coexisting with gunny sacs
containing assorted merchandise
near the boltless bathroom door
crippled beggar boy voluntarily
mopping the floor tickling your feet
for a few reluctant coins
three hijras singing and clapping
jabbing their fingers at you
black-coated railwayman
surrounded by eager berth-seekers
like a moving lantern on a powerless night
followed by a halo of insects
tongue-lashing matronly woman stretching
her arthritic limbs on all sides offensively
Gujarati family opening triumphantly
their tall biscuit-tins containing
hard puris and athhana immediately
three wholesalers from Nagpur
squatting on a towel on the floor
with a pack of playing cards
mango-onion bhel seller dispensing his wares
with just one foot delicately
balanced in the sea of humanity
there is the summer journey for you.
