The Law of the Market-place
of the capital city,
stalls and shops stretch out
on to the pavement.
Passers-by stop to examine
crates, baskets, sacks
and jars
filled with colour and abundance.
Fragrant rice
and freshwater fish
from Bangladesh,
cloves and cinnamon sticks
from Tangiers,
marrows and chillies
from East Africa stimulate
the palates of the rich and the exiled.
Surprise and curiosity of some--
nostalgia for others
who've left behind
a piece of land
where golden hopes were planted.
They till the land
and harvest the crops
but don't taste them.
They pack them, load them on to
ships to the West.
Arms, ammunition, come back in return.
Sibani Raychaudhuri is an educationist and anti-war activist who lives in England.
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