Unpacking

fleeting thoughts
from my last days in Bombay

Jul 18 2021, Sunday
The crows have been emboldened by my absence. As with anything, it is a process.

Jul 19 2021, Monday
I am welcoming the eerie calmness that follows a downpour.

Jul 20 2021, Tuesday
This trip with it’s packing and unpacking, whilst reading Americanah feels like a homecoming. But where is the home now?

Jul 21 2021, Wednesday
The rain falls differently here; it sounds louder, more sonorous, with all of the metal sheets it embraces.

Jul 25 2021, Sunday
I broke the soap tray today. Took me back to the time my blue ceramic bowl arrived shattered in the carton in January. Something blue and broken to commemorate my arrival and departure. We’ve come full circle.

Jul 27 2021, Tuesday
I will miss these ochre walls that gave me warmth, sheltered me and propped me up.

Jul 31 2021, Saturday
Reading Bombay Meri Jaan.

इस दिल में बस कर देखो तो
यह शहर बड़ा पुराना है
शहर बड़ा पुराना है
यह शहर बड़ा पुराना है
हर सांस में कहानी है
हर सांस में अफसाना है

Maya Memsaab (1993)

Live in this heart once
This is an old city
There is a story in each breath
There is a tale in each breath