Saturday 22 December 2012

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..." 

Wednesday 5 September 2012

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…

 

Friday 24 August 2012

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” 

Tuesday 22 May 2012

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”

Saturday 19 May 2012

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… 

Friday 11 May 2012

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… 

Wednesday 2 May 2012

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