The doors slid open <br />And I stepped in… <br />What a great relief it was <br />To be so far away <br />From the madding crowds, <br />The smoke and the chaotic traffic, <br />The rashly driven blueline buses, <br />The stray cattle on the roads… <br /> <br />The doors closed <br />And the train started gliding… <br />What a great relief it was <br />To be so far away <br />From the scorching heat, <br />The terribly long power cuts, <br />The little, gnawing worries, <br />The daily drudgery of existence… <br /> <br />I spotted a vacant seat <br />And I sat down… <br />What a great relief it was <br />To see <br />Everything so spotlessly clean; <br />Not a single scratch, <br />Not a single speck of dust, <br />Not a single perverted message <br />Scratched on the walls… <br /> <br />I relaxed <br />And I began to daydream… <br />What a great relief it was <br />To let <br />My thoughts wander <br />Like naughty, restless children <br />Swing up into the sky, <br />Ride on the clouds <br />Run on the green grass… <br /> <br />The train stopped <br />And I woke up with a start… <br />What a great shock it was <br />To find <br />I had reached my “stop.” <br />On the opposite seat <br />Sat a newly-married couple <br />Still too engrossed with each other <br />Oblivious to everything else… <br /> <br />The doors slid open <br />And I stepped out… <br />What a rude contrast it was <br />To be back <br />Into the madding crowds, <br />The smoke and the chaotic traffic <br />The rashly-driven blueline buses <br />The stray cattle on the roads…<br /><br />Jasbir Chatterjee<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-delhi-metro/
