Any mother, anywhere,
Can bring the world’s tallest, wealthiest minarets
Crashing to their knees in a single second.
Abin Roychoudhury
Abin Roychoudhury (born September 2, 1987, in Mangalkote, West Bengal) is a Bengali poet, essayist, lyricist, and writer. He gained special recognition in the literary circles for his debut poetry collection, Itipurbe Bolini. His other notable poetry collections include Golap Nirapekkha Noy and Bibarna Cycle. Leaving his teaching profession behind, he fully devoted himself to literary pursuits. His popular song “Norom Sobdo Chhuye Dao” is available on major music platforms. He has presented essays at All India Radio, alongside participating in the Krittibas and India-Bangladesh Poetry Festivals. His poems have been published in all notable magazines across India and Bangladesh. Additionally, he has contributed to World Inkers (jointly published from America and Senegal), Australia’s Multicultural Press, Belgium’s Atunis, Philippines’ Artista De Colores, and the Albanian literary magazine Gazeta Destinacioni. For his contributions to literature, he has been honored with the Mallika Sengupta Smriti Puraskar. Currently, he resides in the village of Panuhat near Katwa, West Bengal.
Burj Khalifa
(The poem has been translated into English from the original Bengali by the poet Soma Dutta)
In child days we used to finish our meals
By staring at the cooked egg kept safe at the edge of the plate.
In the same way I still watch Dubai on YouTube.
On the glass skin of the 142nd floor
Of the Burj Khalifa,
I sketch a beggar mother.
A breath later, the tower shatters,
Dissolving back into desert sand.
Any mother, anywhere,
Can bring the world’s tallest, wealthiest minarets
Crashing to their knees in a single second.
___________
