If you could just sit

yes, just sit down

for a cup of coffee

here with the

dazzling blue skies

now turning orange

and then a fiery red

to the music of

Farukh Balsara

singing Love of my life

in the background

a few fire flies floating

a few crickets chattering

far away dogs exchanging

messages most pertinent

I would know

that this is true

that this will stay

like the lingering

fragrance

after mom puts that

sandalwood mark on the forehead

when the day looks bright somehow

though unsure of what lies ahead

or the thick smoke lines that form

against a North Bengaluru sky

when machine birds

go seeking new destinations

or when she smiles

stepping in to the sweetness

of cookies cooking and growing rounder

crispier and the air weighs down

the nostrils and seeps into the senses

then I will know

this is true

till then

it’s a mirage, just that.