India

1

Seventeen zillion, twelve

gazillion, one

trillion, sixteen

billion, three

hundred thousand?

No one knows

for sure

how many people

Inhabit India.

Scared cows

wander into

traffic.  All movement

halts.

2.

The Bengal tiger’s

stripes blend in

with tree branches.

Women peek

from behind veils.

Pink blossoms line

the path,

and float in a

nearby fountain.

A dead dog drifts down the Ganges.

Pink, yellow, orange, crimson,

rose, purple, violet, gold,

magenta, scarlet saris dot

the landscape.