Daily Life
Illustrated by Sabyasachi Hazra
Nothing there just flowers nodding in the empty wind
A fleeting fog dewdrops on the vast fields at night
Pieces of paper left behind by somebody on the grass.
Eight a.m. A tempo-wheeled middle-class day
Somebody slips and breaks a skull on a roof
Head lowered I stare out at the speeding cars
Suddenly lock eyes with someone riding a rickshaw
My office is on the upper storey, a panting climb
A bone-tiredness makes my back ache,
Work like a machine glasses glued to my eyes
Then spy a letter whose writing I know:
With a broken nib in a gentle easy everyday style
Somebody has written one's name in capital letters
The inkwell's lip was probably broken, and three
Inkdrops tiny and large spilled in careless haste.
This spurning! First you came close to me, then withdrew
Gave the caged bird a glimpse of open skies and endless space
This is how it ends, will end, the night comes on as usual
Early morning knock on the door again I race to open it...
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. 
Related News
Reflection / Harper Lee at 100: An enduring echo of justice
28 April 2026, 20:10 PM
Literature
POETRY / Take me to a hibiscus field won’t you
13 December 2024, 18:00 PM
Star Literature
POETRY / Our Bangla
13 December 2024, 18:00 PM
Star Literature
THE SHELF / Pages for freedom: Book recommendations for Victory Day
13 December 2024, 18:00 PM
Star Literature
Alice Munro, Canadian Nobel Prize-winning author, dies at 92
14 May 2024, 17:26 PM
Literature
Comments