Half a Glass

A Buff Brahma rooster with golden buff plumage, black-striped hackles and feathered feet in a loose white cotton shirt and a grey waistcoat, seated upright like a gentleman on a wooden bench under a dripping blue tarpaulin at a roadside tea stall in Mumbai, a small glass of milky tea beside him, heavy monsoon rain falling on the wet street and green trees beyond

The Tarpaulin Holds

The rain stayed away most of a week, and the city spent it looking at the sky. “Back again,” says the tea-seller, meaning the rain, and possibly him.

21 July 2026