Vasai

 

Fort of ruins,

Bassein today is a lonely place

But beneath the cobwebs,

Broken ribs,

You will find,

It once saw better days

 

This was perhaps

Where Bombay was born

A Portuguese stronghold

In the Arabian Sea

Before Goa, after Diu

Another pearl the coasts adorn

 

Fort to a city

Then dowry of an island stack

The isles fused

The British arrived,

The Parsees thrived

Bombay, Mumbai never looked back

 

But the city has sprawled

Now too far away

Speedy city never stops,

Almeida? Albuquerque?

Who has time

Don’t they belong to yesterday?

 

A lot remains, but no one cares –

A slow Vasai left behind,

A story of stone

Waits alone

One day again

When time may be kind…

 

12^th December, 2025