Cosmic Imbalance

Sushant Thapa


I sit on the observing porch
The evening flowerpots
Surrender to the concrete society. 
Tire marks on the footpath soil
Keep returning.
Heavy lorries,
Industrial route,  
Sunsari to Calcutta port
Plying of trucks laden with
Daily imports
From the neighboring country.
I remember when I went way up
But saw
Mules descending down
Just to carry
Mounds of salt
On their back
Up to the hills
Above bulbous clouds
Where you and I
Dreamed to build a castle
To live, pray and play.
Syafrubeshi to Langtang
The stalwarts of burden pass
On their daily trails  
The neck-bells dangling
On those working mules
And tearing
The mocking silence of the hills.
Heal me,
The distant society calls.
The cosmic imbalance
Is it to blame?
Or the worldly mantras
Chanted from the first syllable to the last.

[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. Sushant was recently awarded with Indology Best Poet Award 2022 from West Bengal, India for his debut poetry book “The Poetic Burden and Other Poems.”]