In the heat of summer,
the plane touched down in America;
I travelled where tourists would
New York, Washington, Hollywood,
I strolled along Fifth Avenue on a Sunday;
the sun-scorched afternoon,
hot air raised from the ground,
it was like in a sauna.
The place was empty like a deserted town.
I did not question why no shop opened.
I did not even bother.
Streaming with sweat
looking for a cab,
could not find one.
Should New York be like this?
or that I had got lost?
Lost somewhere?
Looking at the map—
two more blocks to my hotel.
I could do that walking
not knowing the length between blocks.
Tired, dying to quench my thirst,
the sight of an ice-cream car
was my savior.
That soft cone drowned me with relief and delight.
Such was my experience in New York
on a Sunday afternoon!