tea time stories - memory lane

If there is one thing that stimulates the senses its either tea or coffee. Caffeine no doubt is necessary to keep one awake, but what if the reason is purely an excuse? 'Chai' was a signature of excuse to spend some time away from work. Architects somehow always seemed to prefer 'tea' to 'coffee'. Nothing abstract in the thought; and neither is for the choice to start work from ten in the night. God knows how many cups of tea we used to have in a single day during undergrad. The terminology used in the conversation is 'ek cutting'; meaning a half cup of tea. And then pointless discussions continued over one hour of tea and snacks. The usual spot preferred was by the railway station. The sequence of events which followed during submission are what i have tried to reflect in this poem.

U, ‘Chai’ & I

Three minutes to four, for some its time to snore
A knock on the door, same as before
Eye Meets the Eye, for some its time for ‘Chai’
A chilly winter looms ahead, for U & I

Four sheets down, six sheets to go
Detailing a door was once easier than kneading the dough
One minute to four, one hour to dawn
Eye Meets the Eye, neither has moved the pawn

Three A1 pinned to a wall, for some its time to whine
Sound of snapping bones, none other than attrition of the spine
Eye Meets the Eye, for some its time for ‘Chai’
A long walk looms ahead, for U & I

One minute to five, a desolate depot roars to life
A tap on the shoulder, same as before
Eye Meets the Eye, “do cutting, ek plate bhajiya”
Short was the kid, curt was his reply “ji bhaiyya”

Smell of ginger and smell of onions, for some this was bliss
Sound of crackling oil, a taste too good to miss
Eye Meets the Eye, for some its time for ‘Chai’
A day of finite lines looms ahead, for U & I

Five minutes to six, ‘Intercity Express’ sounds siren of arrival
A lull street fills with people, sparrows screech from a steeple
Eye Meets the Eye, “vapas chale bhai?”
A long walk looms ahead, for U & I

Sun winks through a cloudy eye hole, for some its time to rise
An elderly at the hostel steps, stimulations of reprise
Eye Meets the Eye, “bun butter aur Chai?”
A long day steers ahead, for U & I

Back in Room No 75, light bounces off hanging glass
3 sheets hung from the wall, 6 meant skip the class
Eye Meets the Eye, “Wake me in an hour”
It is only apt to say, Brains are at Par

Dawn meets Dusk, for some its time to lie
For U & I, It is time for another ‘Chai’