Forte de Bandora
(Bandra Fort)
The rugged steps invite shadows from바카라 웹사이트
the seventeenth century,
sketching old war ships in a large canvas.
The past is perhaps out of memory, out of irony.
Whispers cluster around walls, thick bushes, history바카라 웹사이트
traces the number of attacks and resistances,
counting the cannon and gun shots.
A still air over the palm groves as if a storm is coming in.
Invaders fill the dark chambers with wounds바카라 웹사이트
and scars during the course of time,
how smooth the weave is,
and they do not erase and they never will.
Unknown lovers sit on the ruins, still scared of insects,바카라 웹사이트
red ants and spider, never forget to keep바카라 웹사이트
the bowl of laughter on the sea side overlooking
the arched pillars of the gateway.
The wild flowers trap in the fissures of the granite block
seabirds look grey, shaggy and morose,바카라 웹사이트
beneath the grey clouds-
threatening to open up the torrential downpour.
Old and young walkers chase the lands’ end
of sounds and colours, some throw pebbles
unmindfully on the messy foams and splashy waves.
I am taking notes minute by minute, hour by hour바카라 웹사이트
in the forward and backward direction,
giving my mind harmony and peace.
바카라 웹사이트
A morning of make-believe-
Like ancient ships, it is in search바카라 웹사이트
of hidden fountains of Agua Fresca!
Agua fresca- Portuguese words meaning fresh water
Mumbai Monsoon- Powai Lake
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams- Yeats
The late afternoon has scaled back colour scheme
sky compositions are stylised, not flashy,바카라 웹사이트
graded in an off-colour way,바카라 웹사이트
pulling me deeper and deeper into this.
The hyacinth stains the surface of the lake,바카라 웹사이트
contaminate from inside바카라 웹사이트blurring바카라 웹사이트
the inner world with the outer world,
The waves, on farther, the spot-billed ducks, pond herons,바카라 웹사이트
then the tyres sway and the fishermen바카라 웹사이트
drops their nets from the swamps.
There is a mood, a tone, an intangible energy
in the surrounding areas.
A crow is about kill a blue-beak tiny bird
but it escapes, diving into the brown nest.바카라 웹사이트
Falcons rest temporarily on the palm groves,바카라 웹사이트
then fly away바카라 웹사이트
over the cluster of huts towards the hills!
Rain clouds threaten,바카라 웹사이트
The air is a skinful of water, the thunder
swells the joints, rattles the bones
cuts from day to night, condensing time.
The look of mid-August-
that accretion of absence reveals the secrets,바카라 웹사이트
your words break into distant stars,바카라 웹사이트
that will never leave me alone!
I enjoy now the strong moist winds blowing바카라 웹사이트
from the lake side,바카라 웹사이트
that is grounded, lyrical, uneasy, humorous even.
Hill Road, Bandra
The roadside shops talk about haircut, nails
pedicure, manicure, the colour of clothes,
this one? this size? this much?바카라 웹사이트
facing the paradox, learning to perish of it.
바카라 웹사이트
The shape that is present in the body itself,바카라 웹사이트
in its openings, in its closure-
that라이브 바카라 a part of the beautiful discord.
hawkers’ lips are aware of everyday dialectics.
An old woman walks along the pavement바카라 웹사이트
her face shows a patina of old order quietness
with a wink and a waggish grin, constantly intersecting,바카라 웹사이트
she empties her laughter.
As the evening sets down, the street lamps begin to appear바카라 웹사이트
in crepuscular gloaming,
the cars, buses and autorickshaws wend바카라 웹사이트
through unmarked zones,
One stray dog meander through the narrow road,
the face of a slum boy shines near the M&S showroom,
someone has given him a packet of food,
a noisome stench comes from the narrow alley.
That corner shop is redolent with clove바카라 웹사이트
and other warm spices.
young boys and girls rush to the vada-pav stalls.
The sliced moon leaves the hushes on the tree top,
all the segments of time speak different languages.바카라 웹사이트
without any ceremony.
Mockingbird Café Poetry
The mask is face for some poets,
others are stretched, chin ups face,바카라 웹사이트
circling around a long table under shadow lights
Uniformed waiters are fleetfooted, serving juices,
one single Americano, one double cappuccino,바카라 웹사이트
Darjeeling tea, Margarita pizza, bread pieces and glasses of water.
Inside the café, an empty library invites footfalls.
walls are filled with funny quotes바카라 웹사이트
laced with exuberant mischief,
Coffee Before Art, Goodbye Straight Lines
Married Till Fatness Do Us Part
Driver Switch Off The Siren
No performance, only sit and read aloud,
Poetry, pause, clapping, adda and laughter,바카라 웹사이트
How many words does a poet need to learn?
Two boys mimic the songs and calls바카라 웹사이트
of the two girls sitting at the window table.
The outside is not the same inside,
overcast, windy, drizzling rain and the noise of traffic.
Reconciliation with the weather- an old man바카라 웹사이트
enjoys over바카라 웹사이트cocktail.
The windows aren’t high up,바카라 웹사이트
offering snatches of pavements and pedestrians.바카라 웹사이트
In the leaves a bird is waiting for it to get dark.
Who can kill the mocking bird inside?
Kanjurmarg
Kanjur once a village, now turns into a바카라 웹사이트
concrete jungle,
the city looks miniscule day by day,
from the forty-fifty-sixty floors.
Middle levels of the skyscraper are better bet
you can like the finer details of the earth-
labourers with helmet on head fill the last acre
of green grass with cement bags and bricks.
A grey sky
underneath which railway-lines and slum dwellers
sleep alike.
You look to the little patch of the distant creek that
escapes into the drawing room.
It rains till the top twenty floors-바카라 웹사이트
tiles, roofs windows, doors disappear in the
stormy clouds inside two hours.
The soft evening light trembles on the half-finished
Metro rail pillars, stands on the crest of the바카라 웹사이트
Holy trinity church off the beaten road.
They glow, grow with the moist air바카라 웹사이트
over the school yard.
The fresh green trees, their leafy branches shine,
weave quiet shadows over바카라 웹사이트
Cinépolis, Magnet mall, footpaths, puddles and potholes.
The last shaft of sunlight devours the old village green.
The migrants now varnish the glass of the tall towers,
the old faces, past moments and ancient nights.
(Gopal Lahiri is a bilingual poet, critic, editor, writer and translator with 27 books published, including five jointly edited books. His poetry is also published across various anthologies as well as in eminent journals of India and abroad. His poems are translated in 16 languages. He has been nominated for Pushcart Prize for poetry in 2021. He is the recipient of the Poet of the Year Award in Destiny Poets, UK, 2016, Setu Excellence Award, 2020, Pittsburgh, US and Indology Life-Time Achievement award, West Bengal, India. His latest collection of poems ‘Alleys are Filled with Future Alphabets.’ has received wide acclaim.)
