The Delhi Metro Poem by Jasbir Chatterjee

The doors slid open
And I stepped in…
What a great relief it was
To be so far away
From the madding crowds,
The smoke and the chaotic traffic,
The rashly driven blueline buses,
The stray cattle on the roads…

The doors closed
And the train started gliding…
What a great relief it was
To be so far away
From the scorching heat,
The terribly long power cuts,
The little, gnawing worries,
The daily drudgery of existence…

I spotted a vacant seat
And I sat down…
What a great relief it was
To see
Everything so spotlessly clean;
Not a single scratch,
Not a single speck of dust,
Not a single perverted message
Scratched on the walls…

I relaxed
And I began to daydream…
What a great relief it was
To let
My thoughts wander
Like naughty, restless children
Swing up into the sky,
Ride on the clouds
Run on the green grass…

The train stopped
And I woke up with a start…
What a great shock it was
To find
I had reached my 'stop.'
On the opposite seat
Sat a newly-married couple
Still too engrossed with each other
Oblivious to everything else…

The doors slid open
And I stepped out…
What a rude contrast it was
To be back
Into the madding crowds,
The smoke and the chaotic traffic
The rashly-driven blueline buses
The stray cattle on the roads…