30X30: Afternoon

Afternoon then
lulls along
Long hours of incumbent,
angry sun. Sometimes too cold,
or too gradual as wives
await husbands
in houses with curtains.
And, husbands gather
fortunes.

Fortunes often squandered on
afternoon ladies' lunches and deceitful
husband-other woman
siestas
in buildings where lonesome
wayward students flock
to smoke cigarettes
and decipher lust.

Afternoon
when beggars hang around trees
Afternoon
when midday papers reek scandals
Afternoon
when business folk struggle through work

Using paper doodles
And garam adrak chai
And an apple packed from home
to survive.

Afternoon
When sisters evade brothers
and mothers occasionally discover husbands
In yellow light,
across now cleaned hallways
and two-minute telephone lines.

[30X30 is a series of 30 unrelated posts in 30 days by Gayatri Makhijani and Anuj Gosalia. One post everyday, for the next 30 days. Follow the string here ]