TRANSLATED FROM THE HINDI BY RITUPARNA MUKHERJEE

Waking up suddenly, I found the skies blushing red
The day had just broken
A cool breeze touched my skin, bringing wakefulness,
My bed seemed a boat in deep waters

When and how did I come here
Was it a river or a sea?
I wasn’t able to figure it out
I could only see the waves rolling in
Disappearing at times in the middle
Perhaps it was some cyber-space
Where the difference between the truth and falsity
Is like that between water and the memory of it
How terrifying the memories were
Of drowning in those waters!
A glimpse of me drowning,
Reiterated, every ten days

It was an incomparable situation
But I wasn’t alone in this
Death, like him, was with me

Who knew that both of us
Were waiting for an opportune moment
Only the boat knew when it would capsize
And who would go first
I didn’t really realize
When he came and sat next to me
In the boat, underneath the wide sky.

I closed my eyes then

The sky still retained its faint blush
Something that filled my cheeks now
I began to get dressed
Preparing to go someplace

He came to know
And became transfixed in regret
We didn’t have anything to say
Sometimes there isn’t anything left to say
That time is past.

Also, read The Charm by Chandrakiran Saunriksa translated from the Hindi by Vignesh Hampapura, and published in the Antonym:

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