Pandemic

The day you died, Aiya and I stood near the gate

Waiting for the ambulance

We heard the siren first, then saw flashing lights

And watched the ambulance go past our road

Before finding its way to our house

Where, in your room, on your bed, you were dying

That night, for a brief moment, I wondered if the neighbours already knew

But stayed indoors with the lights switched off because it was too soon

Hearing an ambulance was so rare back then, just a few years ago

I wanted to apologize for the noise

Who'd have thought that today, a few years later,

I'd wake up to the sound of sirens

I'd hear them while having breakfast

Or enjoying a glass of thambili

I'd go to bed, hearing the siren get louder and louder and then quieter and quieter

Who'd have thought that we'd hear them so often

They'd blend into the noises of the neighborhood;

Other vehicles, mobile vendors, music, birds

And when an ambulance drives down our road

And drives back a few minutes later

We now wonder if we'd get off with a bit of quarantine or isolation

Or if we'd wake up to find white flags fluttering in the wind