Translated from the Marathi by Paromita Goswami
Path
Of course, this is what you should do
Take a turn, mid-way
At the next corner
Change your direction, suddenly
In my eyes, the rage
of stinging dust storm
disbelief
at your kohl-lined words
but all that you may willfully
disregard
and extend your nonchalance
with a ‘take care.’
Of course, you should do this.
My hurricane-hit boat, rocking
This blow, too much to bear
Crash, crash, life would crash around me
But you
You must remain firm
and leave.
Oh, I would mingle freely once again
regain my strength
Don’t bother to look back
Cowering,
the tender sapling of our love
decays
Lush forests of desire lie
uprooted
Warm winds and the rain
my future companions
And slowly your memories
erased
I am released from
the torment
of memories
So, let nothing stop you.
I belong to me, henceforth,
and you to you alone
Members of separate universes
Drenched separately
In separate rains
And if ever
Life’s journey ensures
we meet again in a strange town
A small truce, a little give and take
A little tolerable compromise
We could do that, of course
Meet anew
No crazy twists
in this wise little town
Even the paths
run straight
Right, so go on and do it
Take the sudden turn
at the next turning
Go on now, change … !
Tea
The cup of tea accompanied his
expectant, friendly hand
Leaving her bewildered
Oh, am already married
grown-up kids, it’s all going well
she said.
He grinned and replied
I am saying ‘friendship.’
She fumbled
Let me be clear here
I dislike all this
Always mind my own business, I do
In fact, I have not a minute for such things
He chuckled and said
But I am only saying ‘friendship’ to you.
Yes, yes, of course, whatever
People out here aren’t blind
Such sneaks they are
Promotions are round the corner
A pin dropping can blow
A pandemonium out of proportions
He laughed and said
which is why I am saying ‘friendship.’
All this talk
had left her breathless
The cold tea
ditchwater in a cup.
All of a sudden, her eyes filled
soft, warm tears rolled
So many days
these very words remained unsaid
He removed a gentle kerchief from his pocket
and held it before her calmly.
Then descended the torrent
She sobbed, hiccupped
to her heart’s content
This time he remained unsmiling,
sought her eyes and said,
And for this alone
I was saying ‘friendship.’
Female Companion
Don’t express your opinions so freely, my dear
Not about her …
Guessing her is hardly that easy
Your simple questions would lose their way
in her labyrinthine answers
You’d ask— how’s life, what’s keeping you busy?
She’d reply— I rise and set each day, that’s about it
You’d say— beautiful, your poems
She’d say— they slip and slither away
through my pen
Startled
you may look at her, puzzled
And she might shine
like a fresh teardrop
From her eyes
you’d see them flow together
Christ-like compassion
mingled with the anguish of the Cross.
And yet, don’t you dare presume
you know her,
for in her words, you will meet
Buddha’s perfect equanimity
Removed beyond love-relations
into nature’s primeval origins
Could the Adam in you then endure
the weight of her innocent Eve?
She draws you beyond, my dear,
before the dawn of prehistoric eras
There is nothing at all you could weave around her
nothing material
Krishna tried to contain her once
called her his sakhi, his female companion
it was quite impossible otherwise
to measure her space
Listen, my dear
don’t fall for her simplicity
Your questions would flap their ineffectual wings
against her intricate replies.
Interlude
What is my silence really
but a constant wordless conversation
Whatever pleases me; whichever way I choose; as much as I desire
Untouched by your validation or rejection
I link my thoughts
Without the influence of words
And truly then
My inner language, I begin to decipher.
The urge sometimes, to call out your name,
I wouldn’t deny
After all, a habit of long years
What is the assurance, I wonder
for the one who calls out first
amidst a suspended conversation
You will give in and melt away
one by one your petals will fade away
Against that broken stone of memory
You shall stumble; I am sure.
I want this distance, meanwhile
let it remain, for now
Emotions blossoming in silence
The birds of speech may nest elsewhere.
Shashi Dambhare is a well-known poet in Marathi with several anthologies to her credit. She won the Lokmat State-level Creative Writing Award (2006). Her poem ‘Pani’ won the state level award from the Maharashtra government. She composed the lyrics for the Marathi film Neel. She is associated with the Shabd Sahitya Sanstha. The poems here are taken from her popular anthology Priya Mitras published by Shabd Sahitya Mandal in 2018.
Paromita Goswami is a lawyer and activist working in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra. Her stories and poems have appeared in Out of Print, Muse India, Himal Southasia, Mean Peppervine, Kitaab International, Parcham, Eclectica and other magazines. She won the Rama Mehta Writing Grant (2023). Her anthology of short stories A Death in the Forest was published by Red River Publications in 2025.