Long Rickshaw Poems

This is a translation from the poem "Camellia", by Rabindranath Tagore, Nobel laureate Poet from India (1861 -1941) Understandably the story took place in late nineteenth century - early twentieth century Bengal. 



Her name is...

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I’ve never put a candidate’s bumper sticker on my car before—
why not take sides—what are you waiting for?
Death puts a stop to daily low intensity warfare but in the meantime—
     ...

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"AOC"

AOC, AOC,sitting on limbs of a dead
green tree,
Shooting innocent cows so merrily!
They must go, this socialist screams!
Deaf to God's creatures painful moos 
and cries,
As their carcasses pile up to the skies.
And their sanguine blood soaking God's 
earth,...

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Part One

                 Still the din dashes about in his dreams
now louder in the spacedout quiet:
an occasional auto-rickshaw backfiring revving
spluttering...

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Volga – 4

to the homoeopathy phial
standing on the traffic-island 
why it appears 
within her womb
the number of germinated nights
stolen without a kiss
is too little

is then it true 
if all the chanting of Harinam
can’t be withdrawn...

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4
there is no ending of words 

is there anything that may be called 
the end-word 

let the words make questions 
let the words give replies 
let the words shout
let them battle among themselves 

i can’t...

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The proverbial all pervading calm and inner peace,
Stability is what we choose to call it- to earn greens,
To eat them, to share it or to control it. So escapable
Yet, always avoided. The veil of contentment...

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The old dog got a bit long in the once powerful teeth

Crushed his fangs on carrion left by the rest of the pack

	Pack of cards delivered by being

	Pack of lies suspended in truth

It was time...

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His two years old son
Needed treatment for stomach pain
But he had no money
His wife needed to pursue
Her BA course
He couldn't afford to
I can't help he would say
I must be happy with what I have
He would...

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Saw the advertisement of a sleazy Volkswagen
Surfed the net as the seed was sown
For anything based on german technology
I knew nothing about car mechanisms
Except the comfort of conveniences
Yet updated my limited knowledge 
With its mileage,...

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James Hinkshaw

There once was a man named James Hinkshaw.
Who planned to go to town for a jigsaw.
He had hick-saws and jinx-saws
He even had a wink-saw.
But no penny-whinny jigsaw—

He loved riding to town in his rickshaw.
Once...

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The poor are lazy, languid, and loafing – the rich rut,
Is this why many people of my nation have no hut?
Isn't the concept: every rich is industrious, a myth?
Isn't there a great gulf betwixt a...

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A new day arrives; I'm waiting for the morning sun.
Rains pissing on me, God must be having fun.
I crawl myself out of bed & move to the bathroom to take a shower.
Sipping on a beer...

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Their satchels (twenty five) within auto-rickshaw seats dumped,
Same number (small and big; fat and lean; boys and girls) tight-clumped;
Some hanging; some stamping; some hitting and kicking each one;
The driver, gliding as though great battle won...

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(for Manoranjan Byapari, a rickshaw puller  who writes Bangla novels, stories and autobiography)
--Jaydeep Sarangi

You may dismiss all I record here
              ...

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I am trying to sleep here; can someone let the world know?

Somewhere the pressure cooker whistles, 
Rises in the night air, the smell of pulao rice.

The peddler selling eggs on his final tour,
The ringing of...

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If there's one thing I can't stand
(And certainly there are many):
We should lend a helping hand
And give  Haliburton more money.

As D.C. weeps inside
His gold encrusted mansion,
We should set our greed aside
And live for his...

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An Image of the Traffic in Kolkata                            ...

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by the right of our walks strewed outside 
we too when hiding ourselves in the regime of fire 
with our intention and activities 
with our standpoint 
with our conduct and  behaviour 
or any instant...

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Big Dreams

My friend told me I should print a business card. 
He said that I should pass it out. 
He told me that I should get out there, 
in the world, and make “a” mark....

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I went to see him after years in his place 
He was there waiting for me 
I started walking towards him a bit nervous 
He was there on call with me giving directions
I saw him...

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Not Every Day is Perfect

I took my pad to the park today. 
I wanted to find an idea for a book. 
I was blocked…you know… stuck. 

I walked outside, and looked up into the sky....

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SIR CONRAD

The great explorer Sir Conrad Justine 
Disappeared and was never again seen
Got too near the edge
Slipped on the ledge
Fell two thousand feet in to a ravine...

JIMMY

A bottle Jimmy found at the roadside 
Drank it...

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A North Westerly town

It was an okay town when you got to know the place
a well-lit main road a hospital in one end and the docks 
at the other end.
it was equality sat in system...

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I search for lines, in vain, days, evening, night.
Stippled heads are moving along a morning rail station, and
Poetry sleeps at a stale corner without cover in this city-winter.
An institution, with awardees for research to root...

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