When I Check Email

When I check email
my wife watches ‘Koi Apnaasaa’
my son plays Jigazo
Father watches ETV on the telly in the living room
Mother squints through the peephole in the door
to see who comes out of or goes into the lift

When I read the newspaper
my wife talks on the mobile
my son stares at the TV watching Cartoon Network
Father, his neck thrust into a bucket,
inhales steam
Mother, standing by the kitchen window,
awaits the maid

When I am not home
my son calls me up and asks,
“Dad, what are you doing? Do come home.”
My wife sends me an SMS: “I miss u.”
I get to know about the quarrel between Mother and Father
when I return home
and about the garrulous maid’s
having quit.

WHEN I CHECK EMAIL