“What is there on the other side of the river?” Asked my grandmother. “Bangladesh”, I said. “The country of your birth!” The river was the boundary Between the two countries, Between many aspirations, dreams; Once an anxious yearning to cross For those, Who had tried to save their lives By crossing over and in the process became labelled as refugees during Bangladesh’s Liberation war. “My childhood is left back on the other side”, My aged grandmother said. “Perhaps lonely today. Perhaps it roams about Wearing the garb of serenity That nature stitches for all Amid the gentle lapping Of the moon lit river water On the river bank. This serenity induces A sense of nostalgia, Perhaps a longing even today”. “Tonight, this serenity colours my thoughts blue! I wish I could hold on to the clouds And cross the river’s boundary. I wish I could sit with my childhood, Bathed in my moonlight, Wrapped in my silence, In the serenity of my river bank, One more time!”
Copyright @ Goutam Dutta
