Half-filled Civic Form on Courthouse Bench at Dawn

Morning light skims low across a worn wooden bench, highlighting the grain and dust in the dry season air of an Aurangabad gymnasium repurposed for voting. A public defender intake form lies open, its white paper against the dark, damp wood. Ink marks from a blue pen stop abruptly mid-sentence, leaving the final section blank. Condensation beads on the plastic table surface nearby, evidence of recent rain and humid air. Shadows stretch long from the high windows, illuminating dust motes that hang suspended above the paper. The edge of the form catches the light, revealing the rough texture of the fibrous paper against the smooth, slightly sticky surface of the plastic table.