Yet another day

I wait at the traffic light

A small boy with a bunch of roses

Clutched in each hand stands outside my window

Barely six inches away

And yes the glass between us

I shake my head ... his cheek sticks to my window

I look quizzically ... irritated

He is humming

Our eyes meet

Gaana Chalao he says

I signal to him ... wait

Increase the volume to max

O maahi ve, o maahi ve

Mahi mainu chhadyo naa

Ke tere bin dil naiyo lagna...

His cheek against my glass

He sings along

His two hands clutching the roses

flattened against the glass

Roses he couldn’t care less about

His face so close to me

My hand cradling the steering wheel

The light turns green

He looks and gives a cheeky smile

I give a small wave

Feeling my insufficiency

And my burden

that he bears

The traffic moves ...

30 july 2019