3am in Los Altos hillsAbha Das Sarma
trimmed silence
of a nightly yard-
shy stillness of pool
and sauna bath.
mother-child deer under apple
laden tree,
voices of my neighborhood I
fear I bring,
buzzing Nagashetty Halli to
Los Altos Hills.
water pouring into plastic
drums,
washing of clothes on
pavements-
hallooing hawkers ‘methi,
dhania, neembu’*
pushing green goodness to
doors.
stoves in readiness
of chopped onions and beaten
eggs,
making of roadside omelets.
wind chimes entering the
temple bells,
jet-lagged dreams breaking
the day-
delightful walks at noon
and pink magnolia warming the
heart.
filter coffee among the
choices
of medium and large,
a breadth of dark draught.
a passage of weekly skypes,
a community raised child
driving home through the
garage door.
little times between great
moments
of respect and deeds running
into a blur.
at the end
the shattered silence closing
around us.
* In India, hawkers sell fresh greens on carts going from door to door calling out loudly the names of vegetables like *fenugreek, coriander and lemon.
An engineer and management consultant by profession, Abha Das Sarma enjoys writing. Besides having a blog of over 200 poems (http://dassarmafamily.blogspot.com), her poems have appeared in Muddy River Poetry Review, The Ekphrastic Review, Spillwords, Verse-Virtual, Visual Verse, Sparks of Calliope, Trouvaille Review, Silver Birch Press and Blue Heron Review among others. Her poem 'Do Not Go Just Yet' was nominated for Best of the Net 2024. Having spent her growing up years in small towns of northern India, she currently balances her time between Bengaluru and the Bay area.
This is beautifully written, lucid, vivid and yet in simple words… conveys heart warming message of how a typical Indian family goes on with everyday never ending daily chores but enjoys every bit of sunny mornings
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