It Rained In Other States

By Rohtash

The clouds gathered and I waited for relief.

It rained in other states; it rained in Uttar Pradesh.

Providence arrived in other ways –

the air cooled; the wind had the right touch.

The absence of the sun calmed the heat.

And stray dogs sat on the street

flashing their happy teeth.

An elderly couple walked by –

the man striding, the old woman hobbling.

Both followed by a skinny guy who works

at the confectionery, hefting their groceries.

The dogs look at the scene with a serene calm.

They are like the sages of the Indus

happy with the discovery of the soul

or a lost bowl at the side of the road.

They don’t care if they are called

or old friends take different roads

just to avoid saying hello.

They don’t mind the golden cat

pushing potted plants off the boundary walls.

They do not know that the flowers bloom

on the trees, and bumblebees gather for treats.

They know nothing of their wolf kingdoms,

or that the foxes of the Arctic imitate their kin 

and impress Eskimos for a bit of fish.

They are the stray.

It rained in other states.

The ground is cool.

Some relief they were due.

By Rohtash