Crying doves and walking dogs—6 am

The Sun slows down on a dusty day

Tied by a string to the horizon.

As I pass by the forest land empty streets

a dove despairs

And wails ooh hoo hoo. A peacock soothes

And shrieks, ‘wait wait’ while

Tiny birds consternated in leafy trees

Chirp ‘yes, aye, that’s right, see see’

Some whistle in joy a passing gull

Agrees.

The mandir pandit as usual is singing

On the mike out of tune and dolefully

To a very patient sherawalli*

Three ladies march like cadets in the park

Breathing breathless home truths and esoteric

Recipes kids shout my turn my turn in street cricket

And the garden hose washing cars snipping hedges

And cooing babies a girl discusses her home

Work sitting on a gate step on her mobile phone

Panditji fades away blissfully into the distance

Whirring air conditioners tell me I’m home.

The title actually should be Crapping Dogs.

The opening line would/could/should be

Colonel Kaul takes his dog for its morning call.

*Sherawalli is Goddess Durga riding twelve armed on her sher (lion). Sherawalli is the one with the lion.

My mistake seems to be a tiger and eight arms. Here’s one with a lion and ten arms :-