The taste, the smell, the colours, the cacophony

of Old Delhi streets tell untold tales to visitors

who had flown from an ancient land down under —

we, thirteen Australians arrived on a hot summer

Old Delhi day, our sweaty bodies and willing legs

negotiated narrow all winding alleyways

of dust and filth, merging with the crowd,

intersecting lives alongside dogs, birds, crawling

lizards, and pickpockets, our fast track cultural

stride punctuated by rickshaw drivers blowing horns

on narrow lanes fenced in by merchant stalls.

In between rushing and dashing, our hospitable guide

offered us masala chai and paratha, for a reflective pause.