This is where hope comes from

This is where hope comes from-
Past the crumpling paint of decadent buildings,
Past the lazy coconut trees with still crows,
Past the satellite aerials of empty terraces.

This is where hope comes from-
The transition from a green to a red,
The mechanical measure of blind turns,
The ordered chaos of the city's traffic.

This is where hope comes from-
The fear induced restrain of stray dogs,
The aimless loiter of garbage eating cows,
The packed roads of a festive market.

This is where hope comes from-
The loaded buses and stuffed taxis,
The crumpled shirts of everyday heroes,
The water lorries racing against the traffic.

This is where hope comes from-
Big white cars with flags on the bonnet,
The empty trains on the lay-by,
Lonely planes traversing a cloudless sky.

This is where hope comes from-
The countless sand on the beach,
The underwritten rhythm of the waves,
The colossal colonial buildings.


This is where hope comes from-
The sauntering solitude,
The shimmering silence
And the wind breathing slowly.

This is where hope comes from-
The stations of cascading clamor,
The dying canal and stories of glory,
Palaces and tales of crushing foes.

This is where hope comes from-
The hegemonic game and its numbers,
The statues of servants of the imperial,
The omnipresent superstars of silver screen.


This is where hope comes from-
The poster-ed politicians and the manifesto,
The octatonic music and presiding deities,
The blaring speakers of road side meetings.


This is where hope comes from-
The house of ghosts and broken cycles,
The wells of change cemented,
Trees uprooted and planted.

This is where hope comes from-
A place where I belong,
A place of growth and dreams,
Of failure and learning.

This is where hope comes from-

Some call it Chennai,
Some call it Madras,
I call it home.

The Light Shines The Brightest