Translated from the Bengali by Nandana Dev Sen

Alphabets

When night falls
I search for him
I bring him home
I look him in the eye
And I cage
Language

When day breaks
Once again the world
Wraps around my eyes
And off he flies
Taking each word
That alphabet bird
___

Broken Home

Once again you glow, on the brink of love
Once again you’re dazzling in heartbreak
Is it for the sake of poetry, then,
Once again you’re hunting for pain?

Do you break your home just for poetry,
Time and again?
___

Growing-up Lesson

Boy, are you scared of bloodshed?
Are you terrified of plucking virginity?
If the taste of blood goes to your head,
Do you fear that it will be a calamity?
The truth is, whether wrong or right,
Your blood calls out to you each night.

Listen, boy, it’s time for you to grow.
Words can be as fierce, don’t you know?
The treachery that lingers on tongue tips –
Beyond the world that all your dreams show,
Know that blood can be easily shed by lips.

___

In Poetry

Stay alive
Show yourself clearly
Like the unfailing passport photo
Stay awake in every line, you,
Like an unquenchable thirst
Yes, you,
The pain that tears my heart apart,
Show yourself clearly
Like a flower in full bloom
Don’t hide from me

As long as I live in poetry.