The tick-tock tick-tock
Of the old pendulum clock
The insistent ringing
Of a household pooja bell
The sharp loud horns
Of school buses crowding and leaving
The loud blasts of a train horn
Followed by the squeals of train brakes
The milkmaid’s scooter’s
Whirrr sneaks through
The unmistakable guttrrr
Of a pigeon’s libido
The loud clanging of the bells
Of the garbage ladies and the trundling
Of their trolley
The scolding cackles
Of twenty squabbling parakeets
The drags and thuds
Of the upstairs neighbors moving furniture
The hiss of escaping steam
From pressure cookers all around.
The doorbell rings. The maid is here.