CONGESTION & NARROW PASSAGES... (My poem about Dubai Creek, early one Friday evening, 2007...)

 Congestion and Narrow Passages…

(Dubai Creek, 2007…)

Negotiating 

The Creek’s curve,

Afternoon sun blistering

Near Hindu temple

And removed footwear littering

The narrow passages’ stifling verve.

Avoiding 

The bare feet,

Reebok soles dancing

Between devotees’ insteps

And dodging bodies snaking

The narrow passages’ blinding heat.

Passing

The kaleidoscope expressions,

Sinister eyes flashing

At western women

And hypnotic stares disturbing

The narrow passages’ quaint impressions.

Parting

The irrepressible tide,

Young men promenading

Along murky shallows

And holding hands, cavorting

The narrow passages, side by side.

Browsing

The waterside abras,

Cellphone holders smoking

In unfashionable wear

And lounging, flinching, watching

The narrow passages’ cramped bazaars.

Lurking

The wharf-side stone,

Random families waiting

With cautious glances

And restless infants fidgeting,

The narrow passages avoided alone…

Pete Ray

Creekside at Dubai on a Friday evening, April 2007…