startling banals

2011-12-29T10:59:00.000-05:00

sunlight breaking through rain clouds
the moment
here now
gone now
here again

2011-12-27T17:20:00.002-05:00

empty restaurant
looking out on a cloudy day
chef

2011-12-08T00:44:00.001-05:00

we are born
on a rainy night
on bare branches
to shine, fall
and flow back
to the sea

2011-11-25T19:05:00.001-05:00

cars waiting
for a strolling pigeon
the light turns red

2011-11-25T18:56:00.001-05:00

4AM-
from darkness
to darkness
raccoon

2011-11-24T13:41:00.001-05:00

`Thanksgiving Day'-
the university reclaimed
by squirrels and sparrows

2011-11-24T11:29:00.001-05:00

chilly night-
the stars
burn brighter

2011-11-08T14:22:00.003-05:00

their lunch boxes
big enough
to feed the cop-
construction workers

2011-11-08T12:18:00.001-05:00

coming home
to a flooded room-
moonlight

2011-10-23T13:35:00.002-04:00

2AM-
out for a walk
pigeon

2011-10-19T09:06:00.004-04:00

past midnight-
silhouette in a coat and hat
pushing a shopping cart
full of empty beer cans and bottles

2011-10-19T08:59:00.001-04:00

midnight moon
chasing each other
two bats

2011-10-19T08:58:00.001-04:00

where to?
tree shadows
on the train floor

2011-10-19T08:55:00.002-04:00

their eyes wander
all over the room
cheating students

2011-10-19T08:35:00.005-04:00

the smell of steam
from a tea cup
after a sleepless night

2011-10-18T12:18:00.001-04:00

how did the sun rise
the day
you were born?

2011-10-15T23:56:00.000-04:00

flickering light-
this elevator,
a dystopian movie

2011-10-13T09:56:00.002-04:00

helmet
glasses
raindrops
trickle
drip
drip

2011-10-13T09:51:00.001-04:00

rainy morning-
biking behind
a garbage truck

2011-10-10T15:12:00.000-04:00

quiet afternoon-
arriving through the driveway
butterfly

2011-10-07T13:11:00.000-04:00

awkward glances
of fellow passengers
afraid to meet eyes with
yet curious

2011-10-07T13:09:00.001-04:00

last train-
the camaraderie
of drunk girls
shrill but sweet

2011-10-03T13:54:00.002-04:00

cloudy morning eyes-
yellower than sunshine
the fall foliage

2011-09-29T20:39:00.000-04:00

no one in a hurry
last train

2011-09-27T18:15:00.001-04:00

and i wish for a night ride in a plane made of glass and we switch off the lights to watch the stars

2011-09-27T12:50:00.002-04:00

creeping up
behind the police car-
sparrow

2011-09-24T09:55:00.001-04:00

crowd at railway station-
crossing the tracks
squirrel

2011-09-08T14:08:00.004-04:00

in the wash basin
every night
you wait, spider?

2011-09-04T22:39:00.000-04:00

by the clouds-
clear ancient
dusk-gold

2011-08-20T22:17:00.000-04:00

used book shop-
stoic fat
dictionaries

2011-07-26T00:48:00.002-04:00

wings outstretched
yet walking-
undecided?
ant or wasp

2011-07-14T13:48:00.000-04:00

midnight-
took the right train,
moth?

2011-07-08T15:27:00.003-04:00

overnight showers.
in their best clothes-
station sparrows

2011-07-08T12:03:00.004-04:00

do you also
dream of trains,
station sparrow?

2011-07-08T12:02:00.000-04:00

sensing the smile
in her son's voice-
blind woman

2011-06-30T13:08:00.004-04:00

for your child,
over here!
a fat ant-
railway sparrow

2011-06-26T11:51:00.001-04:00

to houses, trees, fences-
the child waves bye bye

2011-06-26T08:52:00.000-04:00

A homeless guy at 10:30PM: Give from your heart.. Give me a quarter, anything you can, a dime, a penny
me: I am sorry I don't have any money
him: Anything you have..
me: I'll meet you here tomorrow
him: You won't see me here tomorrow
me: I'll come where you are. Where will you be tomorrow?
him: The Dunkin Donuts round that corner

2011-06-25T16:18:00.003-04:00

train ride-
all eyes
on the tender blind couple

2011-06-08T13:05:00.004-04:00

noon
empty road
strolling
pair of pigeons

2011-06-05T15:30:00.001-04:00

sunday morning.
sneaking in the train's shadow-
lazy pigeons

2011-06-01T13:44:00.005-04:00

train ride.
singing and playing
an air guitar
in grandpa's lap-
chubby boy

2011-05-31T12:48:00.002-04:00

one sparrow
makes them all
look like sparrows-
pine cones

2011-05-30T11:51:00.003-04:00

combing his
flowing white
hair and beard.
his mirror-
a barber shop window

2011-05-28T09:44:00.004-04:00

rising and falling
on gravel and train tracks-
thick shadows
of summer leaves

2011-04-14T22:02:00.001-04:00

starting off together-
flock of sparrows
bunch of leaves

2011-04-03T14:09:00.000-04:00

blowing a kiss
to the blind man's dog-
baby boy

2011-03-26T19:02:00.002-04:00

hurrying into the bush-
for a fight,
sparrow?

2011-03-18T23:54:00.001-04:00

the snow gone
they scatter again-
fall leaves

2011-03-17T17:07:00.002-04:00

nibbling fingers
cigarette in hand
emerging from a cafe
in a raincoat-
the usual postman

2011-03-17T17:06:00.000-04:00

"this is home"
train station sparrow

2011-02-25T15:36:00.001-05:00

rainy day
looking out
through foggy train windows-
baby girl

2011-02-15T09:32:00.001-05:00

emerging after months
under snow-
park benches

2011-02-12T10:22:00.000-05:00

newspaper in hand
a few white hair
and a single tooth

2011-02-12T10:15:00.002-05:00

opening the window-
the wind
hasn't frozen

2011-01-27T13:08:00.001-05:00

through mountains of snow she went

2011-01-24T11:24:00.001-05:00

kitchen sink-
worked all night,
ants?

2011-01-15T10:08:00.003-05:00

night
laptop light and
the sound of fingers
from the other room

2010-11-22T22:27:00.004-05:00

on the train
vacant eyes
heartbroken?

2010-11-18T15:52:00.006-05:00

from a leafless tree
one berry at a time-
starling

2010-11-18T15:45:00.006-05:00

bus stop.
mesmerized by an electric pole-
infant

2010-11-01T12:41:00.001-04:00

these days
she flies with sparrows-
starling

2010-10-12T19:24:00.003-04:00

out on the streets-
the sun and
drunk toddlers

2010-09-29T11:42:00.004-04:00

like a top
spinning around itself
falling leaf

2010-09-29T11:03:00.002-04:00

there was a baby boy

humming to himself

on the rush hour train

i smiled

he smiled back

i pretended to sleep

he looked away
giggling shyly

a baby on the train

2010-09-25T13:50:00.004-04:00

with one hand
drinking milk from a bottle
and holding mom's forearm
with the other

2010-09-25T13:23:00.004-04:00

streetlights, billboards and cars
hanging heavy on the horizon-
an orange moon

2010-09-25T13:18:00.003-04:00

today
an old employee
who sits on a stool every day
at the train station,
was applying lipstick
hiding
behind a booth

2010-08-02T15:59:00.000-04:00

old woman sitting between grocery bags
smiles as i pass whistling by

2010-06-04T16:24:00.005-04:00

turning back
she offers a seat-
thousand wrinkle smile

2010-05-30T23:49:00.001-04:00

the lull
before
the next gust
of wind-
arboured river bank

2010-05-26T22:42:00.007-04:00

steam wafts
over tar roads-
nighttime thundersprinkles

2010-04-29T13:33:00.002-04:00

between the railway tracks too
spring arrives-
young saplings

2010-04-26T14:32:00.008-04:00

a crooked beauty
just like in Japanese paintings-
blooming cherry

2010-04-26T14:30:00.006-04:00

flying into the wind
she goes up straight
to perch
on a twig overhead-
sparrow

2010-02-09T15:56:00.000-05:00

after dinner
coming out again
a new star above

2009-11-01T02:43:00.001-05:00

smoking
the moon sets
behind a building

2009-09-21T16:07:00.003-04:00

looking left, looking right-
waiting for a bus,
sparrow?

2009-07-13T09:47:00.004-04:00

a street nook
crumpled beer cans
homeless hideout

2009-07-13T09:29:00.003-04:00

passed by a squirrel
throwing long shadows
sitting on its bum
with its back
to the setting sun

2009-07-12T17:12:00.004-04:00

red stains
cherry seeds and twigs
quick to dry up and wrinkle

2009-07-10T12:43:00.003-04:00

getting out of my way
it only hops-
sparrow child

2009-07-09T11:32:00.005-04:00

seeking buried treasure
day after day they come
huge iron-clawed machines

2009-07-05T14:51:00.005-04:00

dark sleepy bathroom
lights up suddenly-
clouds passing by

2009-07-04T23:41:00.003-04:00

happy kids on bicycles leaving behind lit fireworks in the middle of the road

2009-07-04T02:19:00.007-04:00

buffet feast
crows flutter
hanging jackfruit

mine was 'crows come and go'
junuka suggested 'crows flutter'
'फण्सावर फड्फड्णारे कावळे' :)

2009-07-02T23:50:00.002-04:00

rainy weeks
strong-scented grasses and leaves
madikeri mist flowing between yellow street lamps

2009-07-01T15:36:00.003-04:00

our space -
an ancient hidden stony water-dripping underground prehistoric shrine

2009-06-28T16:30:00.002-04:00

the workaholic washing machine
in your bathroom
worries about you
when you are away

2009-06-28T16:13:00.006-04:00

an ocean
with waters so dark
we forget it's there
while rhythmic
we row our boat
under this star-crammed sky

2009-06-26T10:56:00.003-04:00

dawn over the lake
scattered in a corner-
fifty motionless geese

2009-06-24T13:17:00.003-04:00

cloudy morning rests on swept floors
cool calm

2009-06-24T12:37:00.002-04:00

will you stay there forever?
-bookshopwalla
@ mumbai airport

2009-04-23T12:53:00.002-04:00

a small black bulldog
sniffs at my lunch bag
while passing by

2009-04-23T12:48:00.004-04:00

backyard morning
kid in bedclothes
rolling over a dust-laden abandoned car

2009-04-20T23:06:00.004-04:00

before i can look back
each wooden stair
creaks back into shape

2009-04-16T17:34:00.000-04:00

spring
sparrows scavenge
under cafe tables

2009-04-07T12:54:00.005-04:00

cut open your heart
to let in
these beloved clouds

2009-04-05T22:29:00.002-04:00

dusk
geese yell
from all parts of the swamp

top-down approach

2009-01-29T07:30:00.002-05:00

the sun rises and starts warming up buildings from the top down