Haribhakta Katuwal
What a damn life this is!
Spent within, yet living without
Sucked by the terror of atoms,
And tormented by the ghost of troubles
What a damn life this is!
Doomed to sleep with heads on the muzzle of guns,
Cursed to walk on a khukri’s edge,
We live along.
Closing eyes is a big risk,
And opening them even bigger.
What a life is this life!
This life, like glass bangles
In the showcase of a store,
Can break, even before they set well
On the wrist of a maid.
Like cheap rubber slippers,
It can snap
Anywhere on the way.
What a damn life this is!
Translated by Mahesh Paudyal