BIO:
Abhay K. is an Indian poet-diplomat and the author of 8 poetry collections and the editor of The Bloomsbury Anthology of Great Indian Poems. He has translated Kalidasa’s Meghaduta into English. His forthcoming poetry collection is The Alphabets of Latin America. His Earth Anthem has been translated into over 50 languages.
Work
After Natasha Trethewey
Mourn the Monday morning, early hours
at the office, papers marked for necessary action,
e-mails piled over the weekend, flurry of phone calls. Drink
cups of strong coffee, read the e-mails, answer the phone calls.
Do all you can, gathering energy, motivation
to go on, filing scattered loose papers, arrange visiting cards
in the folder. Delete spam, drink more coffee,
check facebook stealthily like thieves, watch videos
on you tube. Break for lunch for an hour. Wish it was longer.
In the afternoon, drink more coffee, walk
to other colleagues to share a light moment, back
to the seat, kill the mosquitoes, regulate
the speed of the fan of the air-conditioner, watch
news. Boss calls for a meeting. Rush
to her chamber leaving everything behind. ‘Have you done
this, have you done that?’ There seems to be no end
to work. All day long wait for the clock to strike
five, the hour that turns you into a free man. Take off
the tie.
.
Teej
The house is filled with the smell of basmati
slowly cooking in milk and cardamom seeds
wearing blood red sari
green and golden blouse
and matching necklace, slippers
women sing songs of joy and despair
an aging father climbs the mountains
to fetch his married daughter back home
her mother waits for her princess
her brother is overjoyed
she will be the queen of her parent’s house
she will wear new clothes—elegant red
she will sing and dance with her sakhi-sahelis
and share with them her joy and sorrows
she will listen to the stories of their mothers-in-law
and tell them the adventures of her husband
she will eat sweet dar before the dawn
and ready herself for the fast– the whole day-long.
Sakhi-sahelis friends.
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