Moon at Half Past Noon

The Autumn Light

A kite of dry leaves
tugs on a thread of spider-silk.
The sky pales to milk.

The Potter & The Unthrown Vase

His wheel slows in dust.
A vase for the monsoon’s gift
holds only the chill.

The Taxidermist’s Wife

He sets glass eyes
into migrating birds that will not fly.
Her scent fades from the linen.

The Watchman of the Ruins

His beam finds the nest
in the hollow of the old arch.
Cobweb warps the wind.

The Boatman on the Ghats

He poles the married shades
across the water, a twin reflection.
His wake erases only one.

The Husband, Rooftop at Dusk

A single black crow
calls from the telecom tower.
His own throat is silent.

The Wife at the Well

A dry leaf spirals down
to meet its twin on the surface
without breaking the glass.

The Banyan’s Benediction

See how the old tree
lets its red seeds fall like hearts
to the waiting soil.

Dhobi by the River

On the cold river stone,
he beats the dirt from strangers’ clothes.
His own heart’s stain remains.

Chai-Wallah’s Silence

The kettle’s warm breath
writes a love note on the air.
His tongue knows no words.

The Farmer’s Wife

The field of cut stalks
holds a single, bursting pod.
Red seeds like open wounds.