Translated from the Bengali by Monosija Banerjee
Today at least don’t glance back at your watch
Shred your problems away into the air
Worries don’t suit you. Look how the sky’s red
Today at least don’t take the crowded metro
Let’s ride the tram, to the rhythm of wheels churning,
We will breathe in the smell of Red Road
Today at least undo your hair,
Let passers-by to your left and right
Swoon before those careless tresses,
I want to make a vow to white lies
Today at least let us cross the road holding hands
I’d be ready to dive into panipuris
at your slightest invitation,
Pull my ears and say— ‘how obedient of you—’
Today at least don’t say that there are no stories left to be told
Some fairytales might haven’t begun yet...
There, an empty chair. Come, sit
At least let me recite a few
of my latest pieces to you
We might spend the rest of our lives in vexation
Still, today at least,
Take peace from me.
Srijato Bandopadhyay is a poet, writer and lyricist from West Bengal. He won the Ananda Puroskar in 2004 for his book Udanta Sawb Joker: All Those Flying Jokers.
Monosija Banerjee is an aspiring poet from Kolkata. She is a post-graduate in English from Calcutta University. She was longlisted for the Great Indian Poetry Contest, conducted by On Fire Movement in 2017. Her work has appeared in the anthology A Letter A Poem A Home, curated by Airplane Poetry Movement in 2020.