On This Day...

A week or so early
On a restful evening
All of a sudden
Maa woke up from her reverie
And asked me,
"What was it on 22nd or 23rd of this month
Something that happened
Seems quite important to me
But can't remember now..."
She put one wrinkled finger
On her temple
And concentrated hard
Her face lined
In a zigzag of emotions
And forceful recollection

I opened my mouth
In a loud protest
And clamped it shut again
No point, none at all
Just a waste of time
Thought I
And let the complaint
Quivering in my vocal chord
Die a natural death

And as suddenly
She looked up at me
A glint in her foggy eyes
"It was 23rd no?

Really I am getting old
These days..." 

The Window

 

 

 

She said “You know you are good at it!

Its long you haven’t written those words

In a row of rhythmic meters”

I blushed & replied,“ Poet’s block, you see?”

“Oh! Just look out ‘the window

Inspiration galore.” Said she

I looked up from the sheaf of papers

Stacks of files lay askew on the table

The plasma screen blinked twice

Some virus…obscure, deadly
A few plastic folders lay hither and thither
Holding a Proposal or two for life
“Harbingers of change”, they said,
“Once implemented, systemic corruption

Would sooner than not fade away…”

I sighed, the pain in my neck

Was again giving trouble

“Cervical”, the doc said,

“Was a lifestyle disease”

I smiled, “Nowadays, medical terms

Did boast of aesthetic ease.”

Shrugging off my sedentary thoughts

I neared the wooden cabinet

Bulging to bursting point

There was hardly any space

Neither on the shelves nor in the room

Shared by two

The door shutting us off

From the rest

A caged existence none the less

Could have been the cause of asphyxiation

But for the AC angled cleverly

To pacify jarred nerves

As stale breath mingled in the air
And she said “Look out ‘the window”

The phone rang…

 A staccato of urgency
My boss
As static as the wooden boards of my cabin
Sometimes I was at a loss
How well he was in sync
With the colorlessness
Around
Secured in his high-backed chair
Not so secured perhaps…
He always left me acutely aware
Of my clumsiness, my lack of everything

I shook myself out of reverie

At times things get so awry
Oh! She said, “Look out ‘the window”
Remember?

If only…

 

Everything’s Gonna Be Okay

Oh it was a sight

When the clouds had a fight

Tears flooded down

Brushing aside Earth’s frown

The sun scooted off

The trees visibly scoffed

The road bathed long

With a cup of tea strong

I watched the droplets dance

The day in a rainy trance

My window sill was wet

When I called upon my vet

He said “You wait! My dear,

The pup you ordered will be there

But it may take some time”

I said in a tone resigned,

“What’s the hurry doc, for life

Has its own timing set

Nothing happens before

Or nothing’s too late

When time is right & ripe

Everything falls in place

So let me enjoy this moment

As the wrathful sky vents

Tomorrow is another day

Sure everything’s gonna be okay” 

Rift

Well, last summer
You did leave a message
For me on Facebook
This day
When I leave one
You say “I’ve lost faith”

Do I hear your foot steps
In the whisper of the wind ?
There’s a fragrance that blows in
From a faraway land



Perhaps it’s a mistake
Coz once you said
“I do not believe in
Divine ordain”

Confession

কিছু  আঁকাবাঁকা রেখা 

কলম  যে শোনে  না কথা 

আর  এই যে নীলের  আঁচড়  

শূন্যের  বুক  চিড়ে  নেমে গেছে 

উদ্যেশ্য  বিহীন  দিগন্তের  পাণে 

ও  কিছু নয় 

শুধু খামখেয়ালিপনা মাত্র 

A few stray lines

My pen goes awry

The blue gash down the blank page

Is just an afterthought..

Incorrigible...

I wanted the world to know
That I had a few special thoughts
When they came to know
….I was embarrassed

 They said it’s an achievement
I said  ”Er…yes, excuse me please.”
They stopped me, “Hey where do you go?
Wait…”

 I sped towards my cocoon… 

And Then There Was A Dream

And then there was a dream

Little crumpled at the corners

Little faded at the seams

Straining at the hems

Tattered and frayed and shrimped

I thought I’d wrap it up

Under my pillow

But it poked me night after night

And chased me in my sleep

Till I lost my patience

And tossed it to the wind

Never again to be seen

And then there was a dream… 

ভালো লাগা

রাস্তায়  অগুন্তি মানুষের  ভিড়
অচেনা অজানা কতগুলি মুখ
ঘামে ভেজা শরীর  শ্রান্তি ভরা দেহের
অঙ্গ  প্রত্তঙ্গের খাঁজে খাঁজে  নানা
রকম  কাহিনী হতাশ করা
গ্লানির  হাথছানি বুঝে যাওয়া
সুর্যের  অন্তিম  রশ্মির  আলোক
দগ দগে ঘায়ে আনে তাজা পরশ
কোথা ও   দেখি  আকাঙ্খায় টলমল
করে  ছলছলে চোখ  কিছু
আনন্দের  আভাস   আনে
আশার  কিরণ
সেই  অগুন্তি মানুষের  ভিড়ে
মিশে যাই  একরাশ  ধোঁয়ার মতন
ভালো লাগে এই  ভেবে
আমিও  এদের   মাঝে  একজন