Ruins
written by: Raja Chakraborty
here I stand
amongst ruins of
roasted chestnuts
summer has eaten
a squirrel peeps
in memory
of lost kernels
fleet-footed, wide-eyed
up on hind legs
surveying the emptiness
dried leaves, red soil
scurrying ants-
busybodies searching
for remnants
pods and evergreens
in slow decay, rotting
then there was
this kite
circling high above
choosing between the
squirrel and me
for there was
nothing but leftovers
of green flesh
burning to ashes in
summer’s avaricious belly
dead rivers wept stones
hollow clouds hung
lazy in an aging sky
I with sad cicadas and
a handful of sacred snow
from a malnourished
iceberg dreamt of
unending rains
to breathe life
to live again
Born and brought up in Kolkata, India, Raja Chakraborty is a much published bilingual poet, writing in English and Bengali. He has penned four books of English poems so far, 'The Soup Bowl and Other Poems', ‘Whispers in the Wind', ‘Broken Lines and Rainbows' and 'About Maya and Other Poems'. He is also a regular contributor to magazines and anthologies which include Setu, Piker Press, The Writers Club, First Out, Litterateur Rw, Dissident Voice, Duanespoetree, Lothlorien Poetry Journal and a host of anthologies.
