Where Could They Have Gone?

Krishna Prasai

I remember—
thousand and thousand pairs of pigeons,
coming from the foreign land
beyond the village of Bibhu,
flying in the sky, above my house
in straight lines
some days before the onset of rain,
as soon as the morning ushered in.

Those alien birds,
would fly north to my country
in search of grains,
to escape the famine in their land.

One after another in linear flocks,
the birds, satiated with grains at ours,
would fly back to the foreign land.

I still remember,
the bright hue of the mountain
the glorious morning of my village
those birds that flew in flocks after flocks,
the energy that flew in the fresh air,
that rosiness
that unforgettable light of the morn
I could not meet any of them.
Where could they have gone?

Krishna Prasai is a Nepali poet, essayist and storywriter. He is the chairperson of Jara Foundation, a literary and cultural organization of high repute in Nepali. He is also the pioneer of Zen Poetry in Nepal, and his Zen poems have been translated into several international languages including Thai, Burmese, Assamese, Sinhala, Bangla, Hindi, Chinese, Korean, English, and German etc. Mr. Prasai edited Nepali Samasamayik Kavitahroo, an anthology of contemporary Nepali poetry when he was just 24 years old and exhibited a rare literary talent he possessed. Till date, the works Mr. Prasai has published include Gham Nabhayeko Bela (poems), Ghamko Barsha (Zen poems), Prakshepan (stories), Anubhootika Chhalharoo (travel essays), Never Say Goodbye (poems in English) and many other works published in isolation. Mr. Prasai has also edited Chhariyeka Kehi Prishtha (essays) and three other works, besides translating one book. Till this date, he has been awarded with Yogi Naraharinath Award, Dharanidhar Koirala Award, UNFPA Essay Prize etc. He is the Chairman of Jara Foundation, and Treasurer of Devkota Lu-Xun Academy, a literary organization.