By: Aneek Chatterjee

There is no footpath here

homeless &
hawkers have conquered all
There is no clean air
around
Outdated engines have
driven it out
Sounds of bullets are the
only heartbeats
one can feel
Blood takes mothers’ tears
along the ancient,
wretched drains
The river is muddy
soils of hatred, anger
& unfulfilled desire have made
the water hazy

This is my dreamland,
where I will die silently
angry,
like proud glittering
lights

& The World Observes

You try to make the world
believe with thousand
words
but the world only counters
everything on its own
& those thousand words
take shelter in our smiles,
hatred, cries & disdain

& the world observes
in persiflage

Survival

I shuttle between hospital
and poetry festival,
both for survival

Morning

Morning appeared as it didn’t.
Black panthers floated in the sky
Sloth bear chased a crow
unable to fly in the jungle

I searched for the river
a crater of fire appeared

When I got back to dreams
Mother was dead
in vengeance