The Queen of Chandni Chowk
Surveys her domain
From lofted throne
Cabs stacked up
End to end
Filled with fares
Or seeking them
Crowded shops
Pedestrians
Littered streets
Swept clean by morn’
So full of life
Activity
This crowded block
Where could it be
Impossible to gauge
To comprehend
Without standing
In the midst
Feeling the flow
Feeling the insignificance
Of one more being
In this tumultuous rapids
Of being
In a very important sense
The tanks are assets
The propane is product
Both have value
While the men transporting them
Represent labour
Labour is an expense
The material vs the abstract
So I set up in the median
Camera in hand
And let the people come
Reveling in
Faces in the crowd
On her way
To Hanoi’s mobile market
A vibrant gesticulation
Of colour and sass
Gentle salesmanship
And meagre means