Poems by Bappaditya Roy Biswas
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Small changes
Today my hands abound in jingling coins It's I who will pay for the tramcar rides And treat you to finger-chips, I'll beckon the girl in rags To come close and teach me fair A melody, even if it's out of tune Today I would bicker with none Over unpaid debts, And let memory of any give and take take to heels, From sunny news-prints to incense sticks -- Everything that small changes can buy Let me procure, Today I've turned to coins The last bank note that I’d held in store. Wistful round the bend A ribbon of asphalt winds down the hill A frail old woman with Mandarin looks sits at a bend There's not one river that hasn't etched itself down her face! A loaf of bread and a bowl of soup Is all she takes Before trudging down the slopes with her heavy load Our eyes, flashlights, GPS -- nothing would ever track her anymore I wish the man who owns the stall gave me a loaf, I would beg this woman for a helping of the stock... I wish I touched her face and felt a river or two It's been long since I've seen my mom up so close. Translated by the poet |
Bappaditya Roy Biswas writes his poems primarily in Bengali. One of his English poems was first published in print in 2001 on the pages of The Statesman. His poems have been published across dailies and periodicals like The Statesman, Dainik Statesman, Kabisammelan, Udbodhan, Masik Krittibas, Ekush Shatak and Pratham Alo. He has seven anthologies of poems to his credit. His collection of poems 'Garbhagrihe Ajibon' was published from Signet Press. Bappaditya plays an integral role in the editorial teams of Sahitya Ekhaan (bilingual) and Hello Testing Bangla Kobita, two contemporary lit-mags of considerable repute.
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