Dream Of Reality Poem by Gayatri Phukan

DREAM OR REALITY
Original: Assamese: Gayatri Phukan

In my childhood
I went to look at the field
On the other side
Crossing over a bamboo bridge
Now all appears hazy
I dream in my dreams
Cross over often
The terraced fields
I walk over the little raisings
The fossils of forgetfulness of my brain
Opens up layer after layer
Oh! How the present turns into past
How a living person turns into a picture

The river too disappeared before our eyes
Once I watched from its bank
The young and the old
The daughters and daughters-in-law
Catching fish in abandon
So many people
Bringing fish full to the brim
Is it dream or reality
The river
The fish
Were lost
The river was dammed
And denuded
It was replaced
By an impressive teagarden

Mother
During my childhood
Brought home a pail of milk
Milking our cows
The old folks from our neighbourhood
Used to visit regularly
To savour the tea made in fresh yellow milk
Now I think
Was it all in reality?

Translated by: Bibekananda Choudhury