And Other Poems by Gopal Lahiri
Calligraphy
It’s all over, everywhere leaves are falling,
calligraphy of dry shushing leaves-
a rustling in the yellow reeds is like a thin paper,
They are like a dying symphony,
sparse clouds float above in search of unseen
boats, that’s how things move around.
Boat cruise is on the calm water of the lake
Front, the breeze turns crisp from the west end,
Two painted boats acquire a thin yet sharp
and curved line, plodding up and down in low
currents and finally vanish behind the dam.
Will this be harder than love for someone?
Then the green island and spoon island are
wrenched by the midday sun.
Count
That yellow bird is asleep now and silent.
With two sharp cries then the bird flies away,
feathers begin to fall into the world below,
slowly, one after another.
They are too many to count.
These drifts and turns, I suppose,
a revolution, a transformation,
they are close against my heart,
You must flow and then anchor,
somewhere in the haze, I realize the life.
Gopal Lahiri
Gopal Lahiri is a bilingual poet, critic, editor, writer and translator with 30 books published, including eight solo/jointly edited books. His poetry and prose are published across more than one hundred journals and anthologies globally His poems are translated in 18 languages and published in 16 countries. He has been nominated for Pushcart Prize for poetry in 2021. He has received Setu Excellence Award, Pittsburgh, US, in poetry in 2020. He has been conferred First Jayanta Mahapatra National Award on literature in 2024 for his significant contribution in Indian English Writing. His collection of poems ‘Alleys are Filled with Future Alphabets.’ has received Pan Asian Ukiyoto awards.