To Save People Of West Bengal Poem by Malay Roy Choudhury

To Save People of West Bengal



I do not know why
inside pinkflesh jailhouse of a shark's stomach
during domesticated dangers in a wet honest alley of wayward rains
when the 205 route bus carrying darkness on shoulders reached Babughat
driver said go carefully to other side of river as it has gone for spawning to the sea
you must be aware apart from rotten corpses other funerals have been banned

I do not know why
in the No Entry zone where only scoundrels win
saw the parasite-ear crater-mouth reporter counting
with painless hands of Duhshasan ashes of last breath from burning pyre
whose only job was to contradict other people's opinion in the motherland of bugs

I do not know why
men who prefer to lend tongue instead of ear to rumours
when they made it free to board and eat for accepting disorder as peace
victory arose from self named grave of poison smeared sheepfold
everyone was shouting Hail Revolution but we do not want transferable jobs

I do not know why
the day ditched girl inside frog-echo water-well
floated upward — sweet memory of iron-weight at grocer's shop
was balancing wheat flour for Satyanarayan Puja
demeanour was such as if southern breeze was tickling fishes brought on land

I do not know why
faster than dementia of a wound'sremembranceof pain
I saw funeral ants in a row carrying candy particles on corpse's forehead
(Translation of Pashchimbanger Manushkey Banchatey Holey)
Mumbai,17 February 1999