Birds chirp softly in the morning
The peacock outside my window
Squawks in search of his lady love;
The street vendor's voice rings through
the neighbourhood,
A Calm voice tells me about mindfulness
As I take slow, long, deep breaths;
The ding of the microwave reminds me
for the fourth time, of my forgotten coffee;
My phone buzzes with alerts
News, social media, reminders,
Friends and family and work chaos;
Faceless, disembodied voices on a Zoom call,
Delivering tasks and demanding updates;
The doorbell buzzes, startling out of my reverie
as it connects me with the world outside;
Everyday essentials delivered by masked men
Silently dropping them at my doorstep;

A desk clock gifted to my mom
For a doing great job at work,
Ticks constantly, counting every second;
Disturbing news sandwiched between
Instagram notifications and calendar alerts;
The neighbours' dog barks at no one;
The sound echoing through empty streets
The coffee drips through the filter,
The smell bringing back Bangalore memories;
Crickets chirp noisily outside my window;
My fairylights sway and tap against the wall
Rhythmically in that lazy fan breeze;
Voices and characters and scenarios huddle
All in my mind, as I read page after page...
It's a quiet sort of sound
A familiar sort of silence
This solitude that calms me while crushing me.

- Nandini Swaminathan ©