As it has come to pass...

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Maybe the beginning of this morning has its twisted genesis many moons ago. Maybe this morning started when I first pondered over the word' skyscraper' and was awed by what it suggested. Maybe it was when I first registered the reflection of Bombay's silhouette in the shimmering sea. It was like watching the solidness of a concrete jungle ballet-dance, wearing the satin slippers of time - beautiful, ephemeral, and very poetic.

This morning, I stood in the balcony of the apartment in Jersey city where I'm putting up. There was a bite in the air and crisp, pure sunlight all around. I held my first cup of tea this morning - one that I'd brewed at 6:30 a.m. It feels like a sweet dream. Watching the curlicues of steam waft up and disappear into a blue sky. Through the barks of a few bare trees, I can see the Manhattan skyline rise tall and proud. Yet it shimmers in the waterfront like a shy ballet dancer on stage for the very first time.

It's my first time here. But this morning, at least, feels like it has happened many times before.

So I raise my cup at the skyline and greet it.

Bombay says hello.

Comments

PriyatRaj said…
Only a Mumbaikar would understand that this profound sense of nostalgia for Mumbai and a deep connection to Manhattan yet unexplored. Somehow both cities seem a continuum. Enjoy yourself, Mukta. And kiss the city for me. Not the Times Square - it is an effing tourist trap. Kiss it for me at Bryant's Park, Park Avenue, those little avenues in Little Italy and China Town, even the small bookstores at the Village.
6:05 PM
Vinita said…
Enjoy! And if you ever pass through or visit Hartford, lemme know.
3:28 AM
Anonymous said…
hey Mukta, good on you for travelling... you there for the PhD?
4:37 PM
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