Judging by the imagery, "Love/in the air" is set by the sea in Bombay, and it catches a love affair at the moment when beauty and unease sit side by side. The opening lines are bright and playful: kisses, blue skies, a "Bombay fling," the feeling of spring arriving in the middle of summer. Then the weather turns. Winds slap violently, and the speaker responds by holding someone close, cheek to cheek. The lovers seem to be older people who are still young at heart, tender but cautious, even a little shy.
The last two lines darken the scene. Wounded shells, a stink in the air, and bleached coral suggest a shore that is damaged or polluted. Yet romance is still "in the air," even as it sniffs and seethes.
The mood is mixed: giddy, affectionate, and slightly uneasy. The poem seems to say that love can flourish in an imperfect place, and that the roughness of the setting makes the tenderness stand out more.