Paradise
written by: Utpal Chakraborty
Our childhood paradise descended
on the earthen floor
of our common kitchen.
It flowed through hand fans,
and goose bumps of bedtime stories.
It was smeared in afternoon sports;
one football team easily formed
of the extended family.
It came in the shape of
one or two sets of new dress
for each of us on the first
day of the pujas.
Bijoya greetings with sweetmeats
joined the ends, diluting all differences.
On every day before Dashami
I still float lamps wishing
all well from the seventh floor.
And my persuasion to make it to our
long forgotten prenatal venue is
an annual ritual now.
A teacher of English literature, translator, writer and a bilingual poet, Utpal Chakraborty is a contributor to leading Bengali and English magazines at both, home and abroad. His eight books on Grammar, Rhetoric, Prosody and Writing Skill have been released by the Kolkata based Nabodaya Publications. 'Uranta Dolphin', is his acclaimed collection of fifty five Bengali poems, published by Signet Press, based in Kolkata. His translation work, 'The Mark', published by Kolkata based Shambhabi publications has got critical acclamations in leading magazines and newspapers at both, home and abroad.
