In Delhi
Green parakeets! They are here, pecking among the crows.
The tanned ex-pats are running laps, dripping with sweat at 7 AM;
old men practice laugh therapy among the trees; middle-aged walkers
try to follow the stern advice of their doctors, they
swing their arms briskly, huffing along the paths, past gorgeous
ruins of mosques, the tombs of former sultans. Their drivers
wait outside the gates, leaning on the cars and smoking.
We are here too, awake jet-lag early and ready to do
everything at once. Later it will be hot and we will
snap at each other, indecisive about lunch, dehydrated,
but that is not now. Now the temperature is perfect! There are
water-lilies! Our grandmothers on the phone
both said go! Love each other! Enjoy! and we do,
we identify a kingfisher, dogs, Americans, and where can we
get a cup of coffee at this hour?…
