The Sea Next Door Poem by PRAFULL SHILEDAR

The sea is just next door.
Its skin has thickened,
layered over time.

It moves with great effort,
tossing and turning,
looking rather dull.

Holding the bars
of the buildings firmly,
it stares, feeling suffocated.

It tries to rush inside,
clutching the hand
of the ebb,

afraid of the
fierce, rounded half-moon jaw
of the city.

The city has been
knocking on the door for long,
but it doesn't open it.

Amid its own roaring noise,
its painful sounds
are barely heard.

Original Marathi poem of Prafull Shiledar translated by Santosh Bhoomkar