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Poem

Like A Tree-Root, Alone

25 November 2005, 18:00 PM

LITERATURE

Shakti Chattapadhaya (translated by Sonia Amin)

artwork by Amina

The quiet fire in his head drove him mad
Sits in a hole he dug thoughtful as a tree-root
White wood-mites, other pretty, patterned
insects
Close by him--not human habitats--
They have gone to temple and dais
He too has a prayer, he too has a speech
Temples mosques institutions insects have none
No creed or ideology
They hover about the madman, who
Sits absorbed, like a tree-root,
alone.

Sonia Amin is Professor, History department, Dhaka University.

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Like A Tree-Root, Alone

Sonia Amin is Professor, History department, Dhaka University.

For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.

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