jama masjid

on a sunday in delhi we went to jama masjid/
meena bazaar/karim's/daryaganj/
i was awed by the mosque,a teeming concourse of faith
the red fort was at a small distance on the left
we passed khooni darwaza on our way from jnu/
nidhi had been to the masjid before,so had abhirup,i kept my eyes wide open in amazement
we did not have to take our shoes off/you just carried it inside with you and then keep them on their sides along the walls
it was the first time i had been inside a masjid/there were pigeons/it seemed thousands of them and probably/those who had finished offering their prayers were feeding these pigeons/children would come running and scare the birds off whod inscribe a circle in the air and come back again to the grains/
everytime they kneel down to pray
silence spreads like a wave
and breaks at the altar
with a hope of benediction
everytime when they rise
they set a thousand pigeons flying
beautiful is the whispered word
that has asked for deliverance