Bombay my beloved. Mumbai, my muse.

Photo Credit: Joshua Karthik

You toss those taunts and jibes my way,

Tease my ego, sully my pride.

Lashing out those waves of turbulence,

Bubbling over with seething exuberance.

You, with your schizophrenic flirting,

As you smile disarmingly,

And play with my hair.

Across an infinite salt-laden sky,

You outstretch your arms for me.

And I melt, like silly putty.

You, the twisted lover,

With your abuse filled passion.

Brimming over with affection,

In my matchbox of an apartment.

Dichotomy of disparity, that coexists,

In rushing strangers, brushing past.

A rudeness in their pace, a fear in your belly.

But there’s an infinite lightness of being,

In the freedom of anonymity,

Your bosom that fits, amidst secrets,

A billion hopes and dreams.

Bombay my beloved. Mumbai, my muse.