By: Rehanul Hoque

A Piece of Wonder

If men were to be compared with an ass and vice versa,
Without much speculation on the respective role of each
anyone could assert ass is the best ass, man is perfect man
and to acknowledge the fact, even a child need not scratch head to twig,
irrespective of right and wrong, the appropriateness of both the genus
as long as earth maintains a balance-
Nitrogen, Oxygen and Carbon remain in exact proportion
The sky above, heart of the ocean, ridge of mountains and range of snows
Bear the testimony of their uniqueness
Yet, catastrophe came with the arrival of a piece of wonder,
born out of the union between a horse and an ass.

This is the creature taking credit of the art of regeneration, beauty of standing
on own foot and a captivating look of language
Aves, vertebra or amphibian- it belongs to none
In dealings, it is incomparable wearing an attractive face
In apprehension, it is never backdated
In action, it is second to none
In terms of presumption, it is always in the front
Its glories are bright from far-off
People call him a born bureaucrat; address him an all-time ‘Sir’
He is mule in nature, appears as gentleman wearing suit and tie.

###

The Way to Revolt

Panorpa,
Amid lovelessness
In the demand for love,
In exchange of death
Through–
Moaning, foaming and sizzling
Although
Your longing for years comes to an end
You show the beauty of uprising
The way to revolt.

###

A Lurking Danger
Swimming against the white blood of shooting arrows
An ant counts the beads of life served in a platter-
Racy juice is oozing out of grapes there
Bees scramble and revel in juice
Grapes are wailing over a dying fly,
The ant tries day and night
To win the heart of a ripe grape
It meets the fate of the fly.

Rose presented a kiss to me
That was the last one – bones put on muscle
I fought and won an electron
Electron fails to resolve
Where lies a charge
For centuries Rose languished in my lips
She is no more than vapor of coffee
The entire night I asked myself
Electron, are you real or a lurking danger
In pursuing love?

###

Colors of Love
You are hair I am braid
You are tongue I am taste
You are nose I am nostril
You are teeth I am chewing
You are eye I am eyebrow
You are blood I am flow
You are lips I am smile
You are touch I am feeling
You are pulse I am its beat
You are child I am lisp
You are throat I am vocal cord
You are heart I am heartthrob
You are breast I am storm
You are waist I am rhythm.

You are mind I am sky
You are color I am butterfly
You are bird I am wings
You are lush I am green
You are nova I am beam
You are object I am dream
You are honey I am bee
You are flower I am beauty
You are spring I am south wind
You are river I am tide
You are glow-worm I am glory
You are song I am melody
You are valley I am mountain
You are fire I am flame.
You are pain I am sigh
You are tear I am conscience
You are love I am life.

###

Where the Mind Flies
Where the mind flies –
Clouds move at large
Twilight appears deep in the Pacific
Wild love takes refuge in a leaf of grass
Happiness builds its nest in the crimson of horizon
Beauty lives to encapsulate time and space within a single breath
A rural girl dins as much as to overflow the calm pond,
Over there lilies bloom in abundance
And numberless images with an embalmed air of freshness
Set the heart aflutter by way of reflection and refraction.

Where the mind flies –
F-16 never scrambles causing noises in the aerospace
Shadow of birds span across the border
Ants need not secrete pheromone
Yet, there is no bar to discovery
It is not sure whether
Someone plays Monochord harping on heaven and hell
But no one fools around for a drop of water although
Eyes are arid, neon lights lose luster
Trade of hydrogen and carbon no more in vogue
The land had a close shave from gravitation
Hence there is no room for meanness
Everyone practices quietism by playing flute
Melodies heard from a distance are clear than
Heard nearby.

Where the mind flies –
The place is free from incarnation of Gabriel and Rama
There is God but no huckster to advertise sermons
No mart for models to buy and sell glory
No one aspires to be godfather in the name of physician
Everyone can attain Nirvana .

Where the mind flies –
Flies from the cheap sightseeing of Kopilavastu and Hira to
A land of absolute freedom,
No question of deviation from the parallel line there,
Although Othello mania is endemic
It is defined not as centrifugal rather centripetal.
Girls never show off for the boys and vice versa
Therefore, products are regarded as cheap
But the mind rests satisfied- no one lives as pimp satisfying a bitch
No one is slave.