back railroad straight

the bicycle rickshaw man

skillfully weaves through the

swarming honking belching mass

of people astride fuming machines

the traffic of Gorakhpur

is the antithesis of the Buddha

as if the city

still harbours resentment

at the enlightened one

for bestowing his last breath

on her sister Kushinagar

but the bicycle rickshaw man

exists in simple defiance

to the teeming crowd

back always straight

he stately

pedals on

steadily

in a rhythmic dance

man and rickshaw bicycle one

completely aware

perfectly equanimous

swerving to avoid

a burnished brown cow

eyes pools of sorrowful wisdom

ribcage straining against skin

flesh desiring moksha from bone

a harsh horn erupts

from a Big White Car

ferrying a Big Important Man

horn blares continuously

Big Important Man is in a rush

after all

he has Big Important Things to do

the machinations of bureaucracy

cannot run without his grease

bicycle rickshaw man is unfazed

deftly manoeuvres

allows the Big Important Man to pass

who launches a seething look

cow stares on nonchalantly

bicycle rickshaw man pedals on

as bearded youngsters

whizz past on mopeds

I wonder

if the bicycle rickshaw man

has ever danced

with a motorised machine

does he wish

for the effortless speed

from a twist of the wrist?

does he desire

for a plush leather seat

to recline his spine?

does he dream

of swift movement

unshackled from breath?

We arrive.

I want to ask him my questions

but my voice is laden with inertia

and a part of me doesn’t want to know

wants to believe my Story

of dharmic embodiment of Siddartha

because in my Story

the bicycle rickshaw man is happy

with the hand he has been dealt

because the Stories we tell ourselves

are often more palatable

than the Truth.

or maybe

like the Mind and Body

Story and Truth

manifest each other

knowing one

begets the other

maybe this is simply another story.

I pay the fare

50 rupees

the bicycle rickshaw man speaks

I do not understand

the richness of his Hindi

is lost

on my undiscerning ear

I smile and nod

I forget to tip

he pedals away

back railroad straight

— A.S.K

27/01/2021