Modernity

Sushant Thapa

The older philosophies,
The new world order.
A concrete metaphor, 
A barn of modernity. 
The screeching tires, 
The sound of a practicing gun. 
Convictions taller than
The high-scrappers.  
In the end 
A blind man on 
A revolving chair, 
Of poet Bhupi Sherchan. 
The earthquake on 
The termite-infested 
Pillars of Bhaktapur. 
Somewhere, 
A space shuttle flying from the face 
Of the already descended universe. 
The science of awakening
The first word, spoken by a child
In a foreign tongue. 
The letters of childhood nostalgia
Written from faraway youthful seven seas.  
A revolving world, 
Blinded by its own attire. 
One flower needed to admire   
One temperate art 
To remind of the artistic sensibilities; 
To live despite the ashes of death
Smeared on the forehead. 

[Sushant Thapa is a Nepalese poet from Biratnagar, Nepal who holds a Master’s degree in English literature from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. He has published three books of poetry namely: The Poetic Burden and Other Poems (Authorspress, New Delhi, 2020), Abstraction and Other Poems (Impspired, UK, 2021) and Minutes of Merit (Haoajan, Kolkata, 2021). Sushant has been published in places like The Gorkha Times, The Kathmandu Post, The Poet Magazine, The Piker Press, Trouvaille Review, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Impspired, Harbinger Asylum, New York Parrot, Pratik Magazine, The Beatnik Cowboy, The Dope Fiend Daily, Atunis Poetry, EKL Review, The Kolkata Arts, Dissident Voice, Journal of Expressive Writing, As It Ought To Be Magazine and International Times among many. He has also been anthologized in national and International anthologies. His poem is also included in the Paragon English book for Grade 6 students in Nepal. He teaches Business English to Bachelor’s level students of BBA and BIT at Nepal Business College, Biratnagar, Nepal. Recently Sushant recited his poem “The Poetic Burden” in Kalinga Literary Festival, Kathmandu, Nepal.]