Sometimes, the sea within you
shifts to make a path,
the wayward waves, crashing inside,
map the endless twists and turns,
like a signpost on your soul.
Or, like the jagged lifeline
on your palms, threading, winding,
through the creased canvas of your skin,
arriving at the crossroads of destiny.
Sometimes, you are like the water
creating your own way,
through the shimmering flow,
to the tumultuous expanse
of the infinite deep.
Then, the path seeks you.
Then, you are the path.
Reflection
Your eyes know too much.
In them, the mirrored image,
scatters, cracks,
reflecting my past,
through the veil of tears.
In your eyes, my fleeting image,
morphs with time.
There, in their secluded, twin depths,
am suspended in two.
There, I look less ancient,
with all my insecurities,
an illusion of paradise,
essaying a speech, my hand raised,
prophet like.
In your marbled eyes,
my bubbled image glisten with pride.
Inside, I feel gray.
Chaitali Sengupta
Chaitali Sengupta writes and translates poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. A reviewer and a journalist, her debut collection of prose poems Cross Stitched Words, received the ‘Honorable Mention’ award at the New England book festival 2021. Her latest work of translation is Timeless Tales in Translation, a collection of 12 short stories by famous Indian authors. Recently, her collaborative translation Legends Speak: Bengali Women’s Narratives in Translation was launched at ICCR, in Kolkata. She has contributed to esteemed anthologies and to well-known online/print journals.
