Golconda Fort

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Still sleepy and tired
we boarded the taxi to Golconda Fort
lulled by last night’s Hyderabadi feast
an early morning break from consciousness

the steep winding gullies
lead us into a Muslim enclave
with goats bleating along the rocky crags
sprinkled with the blue dust of dawn

only men in sharp white kurtas are seen on the streets
returning from early morning Eid prayers
the voices of women lurch rhythmically from behind the sheeted doorways
chiding children under the shadowy facades of cinder block homes

the streets start becoming more feral
the stares more stark
as we wind our way to the top
of the ancient sultanate

while we turn the corner
I catch a glimpse
of a boy beating a rat with a stick
wearing a white knit taqiya on his head
oblivious of the squeal.

Photo by Moz Rauf