An eve with(in) Mumbai local

Sitting in the train, sun about to set

Hustling city ready to retire, the humid air smelled both of tiredness and enthusiasm.

I saw many faces, some felt home, and some intrigued curiosity.

All in their world, I wonder what they were thinking!

People were in constant hurry, guess where they were headed to?

Some eyes sad, some smiled.

Some shared stories of their hustle,

Others glued to their smart('phone) friend.

A teenage girl listening to songs, smirked creating the perfect instance in her mind,

A man immersed in the loop of thoughts he created, gauging the decisions he made till now.

Few missed their home, and wished they could get there earliest

Some feared going home, prayed that the time could stop, there.

Few longed to see loved ones, other escaped from them.

A few enjoyed the solitude, Others cheered the social butterfly,

There were loners too with undying hope lining their eyes.

A small group of women bargained with the hawkers selling all sorts of things,

In between, few got down and hurried past the sea of people,

Some others got in and walked through the length in search of even a tiny space to settle down,

While a bunch of friends preferred to stand near the door, sharing their blunders and joy of the day, they giggled together.

And there was me, engrossed in reading all of them, wanting to be a part of their story. 

So immersed was I in this new found leisure pursuit,

I failed to notice that it was about time to get down.

And out of nowhere, I felt a slight pain growing and making it's way through.

My journey with all of them ends there, leaving my wild theories unanswered.

Unknowingly they all become a part of me for that evening, 

and I wondered if I'll ever see any of them again.

The girl who smiled when I sat besides her, the woman who tried to initiate a small talk, the guy who brushed my shoulder whilst in a hurry, the man with the sad but beautiful eyes glaring into the ceiling.

All of their faces imprinted into my being and I wished it stayed there,

With the hope that in another crowd I might see them

And I'll recognize them, my fellow commuters on that beautiful evening.

As I made my way to the exit, I looked back at them one last time, bidding a farewell.

Painting a beautiful picture in my mind.

But then as I got down, I was happy.

I smiled, knowing, besides all this, life goes on,

With it's own pace,

It isn't in any hurry, nor it waited,

Some sailed along smooth,

For some it was hard, they struggled.

The charm of it all was how they kept going, against all odds,

Nevertheless.