The Bay’s Hidden Heart

Traces of the past 

Whisper through

The wind, the scent

Cajoles the mirages

Of the anecdote that made

My sleepless nights frown.

The Eventide splashed

Thirty-five years of unanswered 

Conundrum, the veiled 

Mystery still leaves me thawed,

A smiling assassin choked

The masses who fled from the scene

And dove into the Arabian sea.

The Marine drive never saw

Such a stunt from a woman;

She was dubbed the diving seal,

Never to be seen again.

Inspiring many to give her

A space on the silver screen,

She vanished into space 

Without a trace, many 

Stories still linger, a tale

Of a sea mermaid or perhaps

Just a Bombay duck's embrace.

Harpadon nehereus negated 

The stories as fairy tales, becoming

Synonymous with Bombay, the one

We loved; she carries the memories

As we saunter along Marine drive.

By Orbindu Ganga

From: India