Poem

Shimla O Shimla

I stare shocked at concrete hills
Read with horror,headlines
Of parched days ,unlit nights
Watch with fear ,tourists hordes
Prowling touts ,monkeys and dogs
Spill on the mall.ridge and bazaars

Is this the tiny hamlet?
Whose lush green meadows.
Hills of stately cedar and pines
Cool soothing pine scented breeze
Serene glades and glistening peaks
Beckoned the British fromCalcutta?

Is this Shimla?Summer capital
Of Imperial India, renamed Simla
Transformed architecture ,lifestyle
Ball dances ,picnics ,pageants
Plays and parties galore
To a glorious English county

Is this the resplendent Simla
From where India was ruled
Witnes to meetings of leaders
To earth shaking decisions
Of Freedom and partition
Impacting millions for generations

Is this the same Shimla?
A name with a postcode?
I wonder .But not for long
Spring comes a calling:
Flowers bloom , birds sing
Tourists vanish , swallows swirl

I shut out concrete hills
Breathe the pine scented air
Gaze at distant snow peaks
This is Shimla , for sure
Not glorious or resplendent
But still Queen of The Hills

humera ahmed
Shimla, India

I belong to indian postal service. I am living in Shimla which was once the summer capital of British India for nearly a hundred years.
I have been writing short stories and my collection 'Checkmate and other stories' was published in 1995.

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