She stood there,
Like an old woman with concave lips
Like an old banyan that spreads its
arms wider and roots deeper
Like that rock by the roadside that
weathers but waits for you
To take a breather and rest.
The ruffling leaves echoing a friend’s laughter
The swish in the air bringing the scent of a
childhood that lingers in your senses
Any new face, new facade seems a
trespasser in your land.
This talking street
Tells many a tale
Of the years gone by
This talking street,
Always at her best
Even when you visit her
Seldom.
This talking street
She holds a fistful of memories
That cascade like a conversation
As she opens her palm
This talking street,
She stands there
Like an old woman with concave lips
Breaking into a smile as she meets an old
Friend in you.
This talking street
she waits with baited breath
for that enchanted moment
if only an illusion
to be with you
This talking street…
Vaishali Shroff is a freelance writer, editor, columnist, and runs a reading club (www.eikthirani.wordpress.com) for children in Pune. Her work has been published in over 10 titles of the Chicken Soup India Series, her children’s stories can be read at smories (http://www.smories.com/author/vaishali-shroff/) and she can’t wait for her first children’s book to be out.