THREE POEMS OF SHASWATA GANGOPADHYAY FROM INDIA

 


KISS


First I hold you gently, then the pressure comes
Let the fire have a duel with petrol today

My lips on your lips, it seems we are the only survivors
In the world, like intoxicated snakes embracing mysterious flowers

People who are very exhausted, think at this time
Exactly how many calories can be consumed in just one kiss

Some people think that in the month of June’s unbearable heat
Watery palms burst on both sides of the tongue

And the two of them, suffering the burning of the poison, which stung
Like bees on the lips, removed it with their fingers

For the rest of their lives, they remain covering their faces with hands
And opening the front white paper, writing that story every night

💮  


RHODODENDRON CAFE


A deserted hilly pit, common people say it’s a suicide point
Frozen clouds float layers after layers, beside
There is a cafe, not famous, made out of
Raw woods that emit vapours

Here towards afternoon, there’ll be our
Unexpected chance-meeting
Winter sunshine is spread all over, coloured like dettol
Both of us will be taken by surprise :
There are so many scratchy wrinkles on both of our faces
There’ll be served local wine in bamboo containers,
The husks of yeast and apple causing intoxication
Will gradually ascend upward the head
Like the poison of snake
On every table go on planchettes ,
Planchettes of dear poets dead long ago
They are brought down silently
by hooking their souls with a pole,
Night will knock on the lobes of the ear, and here only

Our chat will go on face to face in the rest of the life

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Lovers crowding on the caravan or a young girl

Where are they now- those lovers while walking along
the road or thronging on the caravan, used to follow you all the time?
You're not Cleopatra, nor will you finish your bath
by the very touch of an ass's milk
That guy who rubbed out your feet with tears-
the hidden sighs of so many like this-
cloudy estrangement and afflicted glance
broken and splintered pieces of rib-bones...
you've decorated all these in your showcase like trophies.
Only to that guy who is a skilled hunter
you do make yourself a prey to him?
He's more cunning, knows more tricks and traps.
He has perforated your heart, and after that
he proudly hangs it on the wall of his drawing-room with a nail,
it's just like the custom followed by the race
like the Naga tribes in their respective rooms...
You only, all alone, just like a phantom
will frantically search for your lost beloved
in the city 's bye-lanes and smoky dust


Translated from Bengali to English by Rajdeep Mukherjee

💮  💮

Shaswata Gangopadhyay (India) : One of the Prominent face of Contemporary Bengali Poetry ,who started writing in Mid 90s.
Born and brought up at Kolkata, Shaswata has profound interest in travelling,adventure and classical music.
Shaswata writes in Bengali, the 4 th largest language of the earth and as per UNESCO, it is the sweetest language.
His poems have been published in all major journals of Bengali literature.
He has participated in different virtual poetry festival of Europe and Both North and Latin America.
His poems are continously Publised in all six continents through translations in different languages.
His book of Poems : Inhabitant of Pluto Planet (2001) Offspring of Monster (2009) and Holes of Red Crabs(2015).
Recently His Poems had been exhibited in a Poetry Festival in Picollo Museum,Italy-
the only Poetry Museum of the world. Translations of his Poems have been published in various journals and anthologies of Europe,America, Asia, Africa and Latin America and Australia. 
Very recently He  has been Recognised as ‘International Poet’ by well reputed ‘The POET’ Magazine of London.
He has also been invited to read his poems in both UK and USA Book Fair, organised virtually this year.




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