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City Afternoon
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bishupoetry Bluish tinged white cigarette smoke
Floating upwards in the lazy pre-winter noon
Washed linen drying on nylon clothes lines
The "chulas" are now a mound of ash
Lunch has been cooked ; ready to eat
Marketplace is deserted ;fish stalls washed
Stray cats nibbling warily at leftover scraps
Lone cyclist passing by needlessly ringing the handbell
Ragpickers resting under the tree shades
Morning handcarts of "sattu" ,"idlis" are empty
The umbrella repair-man has ceased to scream
Newspapers now wear a crumpled,stale look
The old pensioners have left their Post Office queues
School rickshaw-van pullers are resting
"Phuchkawalla" is preparing his ware for the evening
Some housewives gossiping at the beauty parlour
The hair cutting saloon bereft of customers
Street boys shuffling the afternoon street
Can we still say Kolkata is a busy city?
©bishu
