Phoenix

Raja Puniani

It was in the year when
the mud was fully satiated
that the seeds had transformed into
tall trees of despair!

the barren land now gazes
with arid eyes
at the hushed path through which rain would arrive!

where every other thing has an edge
rivers roads clothes faces thoughts weapons sandals spade sickle stove weed chapati blanket dreams
is exactly the place where a market thrives
of thirst!

this is not to conclude anything
time also has an edge
and it is on that edge
where there is a dense tree
that the desperate one sits under the dark shade
and thaws himself in the pools of the sky
pummeling it with an uninterested palm!

he gulps down a palmful of sky
one more
some more
yet remains parched like the kakakuli !

crossing over the geographical barriers
marches a thick mass of thirst
on the flag
the image of a combat bird beating its wings like fire
the cavalcade is subjugated
tear gas bullets
the force of domination
was no less an abettor to the flame of suppressed anguish!

this is not about others
it is about you about me about us!

dumb some voluble some
falling some standing some
knowingly or unknowingly
what actually are we sowing here?

o look
at fire sprouting
tearing the seed’s flesh apart!

just like the fairy tales of yore
our desire to consummate change
should have matured by now!

yes our battle has begun
we are just waiting for the beagle to sound
waiting with news eager ears
in reality the circle of dying and killing
has continued unabated since
long long ago!

the tottering generation had vowed
emancipation
eons ago
one voice
one vision

the nameless lost generation
calls out to the person floating on time’s edges
you float down the river of struggles
the ocean of fulfillment shall stream to meet you
enfold you within itself
up and above!

it is exactly now that
our haste our wars
like the combatant Phoenix
plunges in and out of fire
now dead now reborn
fly over the burning kop of Kanchenjunga

beware Phoenix
the traitorous sky lynches at your wings!


(Translated from Nepali by Dr Sarita Sharma, Tezpur, Assam, India)

[Raja Puniani is a poet, author, lyricist, translator, actor, artist. His series poetry ‘Arko Lashkar’ (The Other Caravan) was published in 2013. His eco-poem ‘Tale of a Numb Planet’ has been included as a reference material in a Climate Change curriculum at The Copenhagen Business School, Hillerød Dept, Denmark. He has worked with some Nepali and English dailies. His works have been featured in journals/magazines of India and Nepal. He has started ‘Multimedia Poetry’, a new trend in visual poetry presentation. He was the convener of international literature festival called ‘Sangri~La Darjeeling Lit Fest’ held in Siliguri, Darjeeling in 2019. He hails from Sukna, Darjeeling, India.]

[Translator Dr. Sarita Sharma, is an academician, author, poet, translator, motivational speaker and mental health counselor based at Tezpur, Assam, India. She is passionately involved with women’s issues and works for the cause of gender equality. She is also the Coordinator/ Editor in Chief at TAFFD’s Magazine, USA. She is also a member of The Transhumanist Party, USA. She has nine books to her credit in diverse range of genres. She moves around conducting workshops on Creative Writing. Her work, both in the creative and academic fields, have earned her many international accolades and awards- Philosophiqua and Grand Productions Literary Award Canada, TAFFD’s Performer Award, ANESAS Literary Achievement Award, ANESAS Merit Award, SewaSadhana Merit Award- amongst others.]