Poems by Ambrish 

The Abattoir 
​
On a holiday in Melbourne
I saw a truck
that looked like a huge cage
carrying dangerous prisoners
as one sees
in Hollywood thrillers
 
But it was only ferrying cattle
docile and plump
who had grazed on a rolling hill
just hours before
 
Thank heavens
they had no inkling
of Time
 
Or maybe they did
 
 
Translated from the Punjabi by the poet
 
 
Pickle 

My wife is filling large glass jars
with sumptuously salted
sour and fragrant
raw mango slices
dipped in mustard oil
spiked with condiments
 
Don’t know why
the sight soothes me— 
deep down I feel
that the next year too
will bear peace
 
Tomorrow is a chameleon
but the sight of her
seems to load it
with good tidings
 
As if she were preserving
the unknown, the unseen
slice by slice
in the jars
 
As if pickling mangoes
she is securing
one whole year
 
 
Translated from the Punjabi by the poet

 

Ambrish (born 1953) is the pen name of Dr Karnail Singh, a paediatrician and medical teacher by profession. He has published seven poetry collections and a book of travelogues. He is the recipient of the first Bhushan Dhianpuri Prose Award in Punjabi in 2023.
 
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