
I miss the way the coconut trees sway in the wind
the fronds bending over in the sea breeze
I miss the humid air
The air feels like its reaching out to me when I spin around
I miss the drawl when people speak
the way they cock their heads to one side
pleasant smiles
as you ask them for directions
I miss the fiery red of the tiled roofs
The coconut fronds graze their tips
while the heavy branches of the mango tree stand forlornly chopped
to keep it at a safe distance
I have breathed this air for as long as I can remember
I have travelled these bylanes on two tiny feet
and then on traversed it adventurously on two wheels
The city raised me
Nurtured me
Its people shaped me
It’s the kindness I miss the most
The new city is bigger, brighter
The roads are wider, the building taller
The people are more fashionably dressed
But they zoom past you as if you were a speck of dirt
There are no friendly smiles
Just suspicious looks
The arms are filled with shopping bags
The air with chomping noises.
The babble drowns out the silence
I can’t hear the birds chirp
You can’t stop to wonder why either
You’ll be shoved and pushed for blocking the way.
They speak a strange tongue
One that does not come easily to me
As I stutter my way through the city
I long for a space where I can relax
And let lose the words I’ve held coiled in
Words in a tongue that I never cherished before
Ignored for what I thought signified my refinement
My big-city words hang heavy in my mouth
I miss the warm air
I miss feeling just breeze when the wind came my way
and not need to cower to hide from the dust
I always thought it was a drawback
Coming from a small city
I thought my mind was fettered by its narrow borders
I longed to burst forth into the world
I am glad I did
I now realise what I had
it takes plastic flowers
to love a wildflower’s scent
It may not have a Zara
But Mangalore has my heart.