Loss of Faith The flickers do not last longA little wind and they are goneStrange are the ways of lifeA small jostle and pushAll that one stood for ebbs awayUnlike the waves that push backNo niceties hereYes, the sand loosens here,The ground beneath loosensWill it tighten ever?Or is that it?Inspite of it all, there are…
All posts in Issue 1, June 2018
SAPTAPARNA ROY
A Strip of Skin The white pillow was stainedwith a blotch of bloodMy shame lay bare on itA strip of skin hungbetween my legsFrom my stomach to the mouthmoved a ball of painOf desire and no desireYears have passed sincethat night of the moon and stars andcloudsMemory has twisted and turnedloosening my claim on itof…
SANGHITA SANYAL
Challenge Could you hear meWhen I was away,Out in the sunshine,Shouting out my joy? Could you see meWhen I was away,Tasting the silky drizzleThat dazzled me? Could you know meWhen amidst your passion,I left it aside and ranTo get wet? Could you recognize meAfter the northward windTouched my heartWith its magic wand? Could you feel…
NAINA DEY
Homing Pigeons Soon they will come inThe homing pigeonsCircling overhead before alightingClapping wingsInto dark-hole coopsA wobbly walk After a minute they will disappearAs the sky gets heavier and the lights come onSoon there will be a sizzling panScraped off non-stick coatDouble-egg omelettes and sugared toast The heat will thickenThe blouse moist, stuck fast to skinJagged…
AMIT SHANKAR SAHA
Extinction: A Ghazal My mind is gone where the birds have goneSome peace it has found where the birds have goneWhat happens to abducted love stories?They are all unbound where the birds have goneAll unkissed moments of our lives gatherAs the sirens sound where the birds have goneIn the nest of dreams twigs and memoriesEach…
MANDAKINI BHATTACHERYA
Birds of a Feather The day draws on… A minty morningDusting feathersPecks at a plum;I hear your callPicking at small hopes,Sowing seeds at random.Ta-ra-dum-di-dum. The day draws on… A jaunty mid-daySwings on electric line,Then settles to lunchOn the core of my heart;Splits wide like pink guava,Tearing into its lush cauldron.Ta-ra-dum-di-dum. The day draws on… The…
SHARMILA RAY
Distances Distances are blurred horizonsand carry smell of ruined hills.Distances create distances of their ownand arrival or departure repose in a mausoleum.Distances are worlds unto themselves where everythingis orchestrated into a mirage-symphony of images. You, My Poem Oh! my poem I try to create you,I undo you, you who bring me sleepand stories of Shangrila.Vibrations…
SANJUKTA DASGUPTA
The Homeless Guy The homeless guyIn a heartless worldSat helplessly, leaning his backAgainst the traffic light postThe homeless guy sat a few steps awayFrom the busy churchWhere well-heeled footfalls resoundThrough the days and nights Was he sick, drunk, a drug addictWas he jobless, did he not have a home, a familyHe looked neither young nor…
BASHABI FRASER
On Rabindranath’s Birthday On this quiet humid morningWhile the world sleepsThe birds are delirious withA wind of promiseThat shuffles their summer nestsAnd capers through the branches.They do not know that the voiceOf tolerance has prevailed in FranceBut maybe they feel a presenceIn the essence of their free flightsThat whispers to themThat they are the icons…
BIBHU PADHI
Story of a Night My feet walked the corridorendlessly, moving towardsthe room, moving away. The night shifted, hour by hour,the rains increased, the nearby housesstanding like witnesses to a distant fear. A long time later, I stepped inside the room,where she sat on my bed. Blue, transparent,her body flowing inside her like sea water. I…