The Queen of Chandni Chowk
Surveys her domain
From lofted throne
Weakened sun
Weakened lungs
Weakened resolve
Beauty and ugliness
Joy and hardship
Kindness and predation
This land of extremes
This country of paradox
Creating beauty from ugliness
Not intended
To diminish
The faithful
But to invite
What could be
More iconic
India
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
Intricate details
Inlaid in stone walls
Indicate a beauty
And subtlety
Beckoning exploration
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
A colourful picture
Beautiful
But the focus
Is a little short
The rickshaws
Are sharp
But the people
Are not