Tagore I

Why mist clouds my heart-sky

Prevents me seeing you,

This attachment-mist Blinds me,

Prevents me seeing you;

Why must I see you only occasionally
And not forever?

In a split-light, in an eyelid-flutter
I perceive you;
An enduring fear- your Being lost,
For I lose you in a moment’s surprise,
My desire unfulfilled- I lose you
In the flutter of an eye- I lose you
My heart unsatiated- I lose you.

What must I do to obtain you
And keep you stored in vision?
O Eternal, wherefrom will I get such love
To store you in my heart?
Am I capable?
Who is, without your empathy?
Unless you yourself arrive?

I won’t look at any other self
Thus I pledge my life.
If thus be your words-
At this moment will I
Surrender my craving for the tangible
At your feet;
Surrender will I, un-fatigued.
Surrender will I, within your Being.

(translation of মাঝে মাঝে তব দেখা পাই, চীরদিন কেন পাই না...)

Musings I

With each passing season

I shed my skin,

I wear no masks

Yet, as time passes

The skin tires of change
Shrinks, sinks in.

My relationship
With my skin
Is like, well…
Relationships in general
Utilitarian—
I wear it
It wears me.

Someday, I will change this skin.

On a night such as this...

On a night such as this...

I found myself

Unable to write
As the ghosts beneath my pillow
Made too much noise.

I fed one with memory snacks,
The other I cajoled
With stories of the cruelty of men;
A third, precocious one
Told me—
I needed to change my pen,
As my writing tilted right
A sure sign of pessimism!

Initially exasperated
I soon found myself
Loving their company;
They were dead after all!
And less fearful than men
With their spears and spiked boots.

Dawn broke—
And I was able to resume writing.
I began with a couplet—
'Truth is Ugly
And Beauty is a Lie!'

Turning Asexual

A known stare

A husky voice
Doesn't turn on,
Any more than the murmur
Of clouds
On a post shower sky.
And tea tastes
Better than kisses.

Yesterdays seem light
Even when laden
With memory weights;
The present bears
The certainty
Of the dancing earth.
And futures smile
With the cold comfort
Of the morning snow.