These locked-down days

She said come on baby light my virus.
I looked at the deserted road
From my balcony
There were two crows
In their nest
On top of a long long light post.
They know about distancing baby.
The she crow will soon be talking
With her babies.

She is so far away
How can I even try to set the night on fire?
Come on baby light my virus she said.
It was a long distance call
In these lock-down days
The front door is always shut
No one comes knocking.

I will come when all this ends
She said
Or maybe this is just a line she thought
To write on her blue top?

Poetry Reading In Bangla

Reading Bangla poetry

48TH STREET PRESS – BROADSIDES 2016

The package arrived from NJ, US, a couple of days before with my broadsides from 48^th Street Press.  Every year they publish a series of broadsides by poets. I am delighted to be part of this great project this year also.

 

 

 

I was contacted by 48^th Street Press to contribute two poems to their broadsides in a limited edition of 20 with a personal touch by the writer. Each copy to be signed and numbered by me. 2 copies of each poem then go back to 48t Street Press for record purpose.

একা একা কফি

সকালের দিকটা আসি মাঝে মাঝে
এই কফি শপটায়।
হল্লাবাজি নেই
নিজের সাথে একা একা বসে
নিশ্চিন্তে এক কাপ কফি খাওয়া যায়
দুদণ্ড কথা বলা যায়।

আজ আবার কফি তৈরির ছেলেটা
এখনো আসেনি,
যাক আর একটু সময় পাওয়া যাবে।
বাচ্চা মেয়েটা আমাকে চেনে
তাই টেবিল মোছার ফাঁকে চোখ তুলে
মিষ্টি হেসে বসতে বলল।
-‘আজ কলেজ নেই?’ বসতে বসতে বলি।
-‘আছে তো। এখানে চারটে অবধি ডিউটি
তারপর তো কলেজ।’
বাইরে গুঁড়ি গুঁড়ি বৃষ্টির ফোঁটা
ঘেমে ওঠা ঠান্ডা কাচের গা বেয়ে
গড়িয়ে চলেছে।
ফোঁটাগুলো সামান্য মানুষের মতো
এক সাথে জড়ো হয়ে বেয়ে বেয়ে
এগিয়ে চলেছে দিশাহীন।
কাচের এপার থেকে
আঙুল দিয়ে তাদের একটা দিশা-পথ
কেটে দিতে পারছি না কিছুতেই।

যাক গরমটা একটু কমবে এবার।

আজ আবার শনিবার
মানে পুরো সপ্তাহ জুড়ে বৃষ্টি হবে এমনই তো জানি
তবে হবেই যে নিশ্চিত বলা যায় না এখন
দিনকাল পালটাচ্ছে অবিরত
হাতি ঘোড়া রাজা মন্ত্রী সব পা পিছলোবে
এই ভেজা রাস্তায় একদিন
এমন নাও হতে পারে।

এই অবিরাম গুঁড়ি গুঁড়ি বৃষ্টিতে
মেয়েটা কি ভাবছে তার প্রেমিকের কথা?
বৃষ্টি ফোঁটারা কি অজান্তে তাকেও ভেজায়?
নাকি কখন ডিউটি শেষ হবে
শুরু হবে কলেজের হুড়োহুড়ি, মজা
তার মিনিট গুনছে সে?

এইসব ভাবতে ভাবতে- ‘গুড মর্নিং স্যার’
শুনে মুখ তুলি
কফি বানানোর ছেলেটা এসে গেছে।

Yellow Submarine

As I was carrying the food tray

and looking for a place to sit

I was denied a chair in three tables

where others were having their breakfast.

The reply was always the same

they are waiting for someone.

I finally found a lone table

at a corner where I finished my food.

I left Stockholm after three days,

and went seeking other places

other lives in Europe

finally coming to Vienna in December.

I was in a youth hostel there

and trying again to find a place with my food tray.

I saw a guy sitting all alone

at the end of a huge table.

So I took a chair at the farthest corner

and sat there..

From the corner of my eye I saw

him looking up with a start.

He stood up with his tray

and moved away with some other group.

Go fuck yourself I thought

I cannot stand all day

to find an empty table

and I was damn hungry

Who cares if he thought

I was a bimbo,

who might bit his crotch to pieces.

I ate and remembered my friend a black poet

Who said—‘You don’t even exist man.

This world is divided between White and Black people.

The power equation and everything

goes like that.

You are colored and so you do not exist

in this game of power’.

But I did exist like a bad spirit.

After a few minutes my new friend

the Turkish-German football coach walked in.

He joined me

eating his food with his bare fingers

and we soon found we both have

great appetite.

48th Street Press – Broadsides 2015

Just got my broadsides from 48th Street Press. Every year they publish a series of broadsides by poets. I am delighted to be part of this great project. I was contacted by 48^th Street Press to contribute two poems to their broadsides in a limited edition of 20 with a personal touch by the writer. Each copy to be signed and numbered by me. 2 copies of each poem then go back to 48t Street Press for record purpose.

This is the first set of broadsides to India, so Christopher Byck of 48th Street Press picked particular colors in celebration of the first India issued broadsides. The paper used for the two poems are special. The colors of the broadsides represent the two color from the flag of India saffron and green. Just as the top panel of the India flag is India saffron (Kesari), the bottom panel is India green. It is a real honor to be the first poet from India to contribute in this project.

Now I am in the process of signing and numbering the broadsides, soon I will have 18 of each poem to give out so if you are interested contact me.

Candy Crush

The hairdresser next door
Always gives me that smile
Every time she passes by
In the neighborhood
No hi no hello
Only that sweet smile
As if she knew
I would love to play
Candy crush with her
I hope she invites me soon
To check on her big candies
With that sweet sweet smile
Who wants to waste time talking anyway?

Bukowski Smoked Bidis

My new chap out from Grandma Moses Press, USA is here in Kolkata, India. A few limited copies will be available in our Book Store Shilalipi from Monday 9th March 2015.

An wonderful surprise came along with the package. A poetry card which will also be available with the book.

Bukowski Smoked Bidis by Subhankar Das available now!!!!

ASCHERMITTWOCH XXI

Today late evening  I will be doing a poetry reading. That is nothing unusual for me. But  this one is. I will be reading poetry sitting at my home town Kolkata/Calcutta and people sitting in Saint Gallen, Switzerland will be listening to it. It goes like this. Around 8 p.m. CET The Red Bantoo will try to reach me on the phone. Hopefully the audience at the Old Post Office in St.Gallen gets to hear some poetry directly from Kolkata. I am all excited. Thank you Point Jaune for this honor.

Ways of Communication

It was an early December morning sometimes in 2010

when I was trying to buy a pack of cigarette in Sicily.

I went inside a shop and asked for it.

The owner stood behind the counter

talking with two men and did not reply.

I waited but he acted as if I did not exist

a mere ghost trying to communicate

in English with living beings.

Fuck you –I thought, you need to learn a few lessons,

and straight away spoke loudly in Bangla, my mother tongue

‘ae je bhai cigarette hobe?’

(Hey brother, do you have cigarettes?)

For a few seconds everyone stopped talking

then the owner and the other guys turned

around and looked at me.

Yes sir, what you want – the owner

said in broken English.

I went on cigarette, cigarette, cigarette hobe?

( Cigarette, cigarette do you have cigarette?)

He brought out four five packs of different brands

and displayed them on top of the counter.

I picked a pack of Marlboro

smiled, paid and came out of the shop.

My friend Fulvio the Italian Shakespeare

was waiting in his car and he asked – got it?

Yes, no problem – I said.

Very, very, very good — he said

and started the engine.

I opened the pack and lit one.