Songs to Sip By

By Nikhilesh Dholakia

Thundering eighteen wheelers
High-top cabs pulling pneumatically hitched trailers
Cityscapes whizzing by
Fields, streams and prairies
Deserts, mountains and shorelines
Blur
As life’s pistons puff relentlessly
Controlled deftly by fine-calibrated gauges
Glittering destinations lie ahead
Tollgates and stoplights mere necessary nuisances
Fast lane is where the action is at…

…Until
Hesitantly, somewhat impulsively
Tentatively
Wistfully, definitely
We pop in
The Songs of Our Times
Melodic memories
Fresh as if decades were days
Time to pull over
And take the exit
On to the meandering country road
Just stop
The ramshackle Dhaba beckons
Keep the door wide ajar
Pump up the volume
Sip the Dhaba chai
Enjoy the rhythms and the rhymes
Songs of Our Times

Ahmedabad, July 14, 2004