Love Will Come to Me Tomorrow
Kherson
She will prick with thorns
Continue reading Love Will Come to Me Tomorrow by Mykyta Ryzhykh
ADR poetry published in 2023
Love Will Come to Me Tomorrow
Kherson
She will prick with thorns
Continue reading Love Will Come to Me Tomorrow by Mykyta Ryzhykh
Leaves
You always made two cups of steaming tea, one for him
and one for you. Your tea was calming; you did not say
what his was intended to do. Even so, your muzzle
would sometimes wrinkle and twitch, your eyes glow
red. He could not tell when you were looking at him.
When he began discreetly pouring out his smoky tea into
the houseplants, they flourished as if you had spoken
to them every day for a year, given them pet names.
The Statue of Liberty
The second time I saw you,
I looked on your crown from the porthole
of a plane, but I saw you first in a picture book
from the American Library that rolled
into our Black Forest town once a month.
This time I was on top of the world,
a bride with a new name, a new country,
a town in Tennessee.
The Knowing
My throat-wind is blowing chords from the faint
heart to the portal of dreams, come to me and show
me strength and beauty, for it is there to those
blessed with the sunshine of courage.
They
Translated from ‘The Odia’ by Pitambar Naik
They’re wandering outside with the guns and urging us
to be in peace
they’re torching house after house and village after village
and claiming to have driven away the darkness
they’re killing people with no conflict and talking to remain
consoled after the enemy is slayed.
Letting us hold the chit of the suffrage of our voting right
they’re pulling us to be enslaved
stamping over the people under various parties by
disfiguring, splitting, slashing, kneading and decimating
only to say you’re complete.
They’re raping women and giving the sermon on
women empowerment
having opened the factory of unemployment, they’re
promising a thousand employments in thousand days
picking up the neighbor’s skullcap in trident they’re
talking of secularism.
Shooting the democracy, they’re hailing the victory
of Ram in the country
having opened the breweries, they’re talking of
liquor prevention.
Depriving the citizens of their rights and dismantling
the constitution and the judiciary
they’re talking about civil rights
selling the country out to the hands of the foreign land
they’re talking about patriotism.
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In Punjabi [reprinted with permission]:
ସେମାନ
ସେମାନେ ବାହାରେ ବଂଧୁକ ଧରି ବୁଲୁଛନ୍ତି ଓ ଆମକୁ
ଶାନ୍ତିରେ ରହିବାକୁ କହୁଛନ୍ତି, ସେମାନେ ଘରକୁ ଘର, ଗାଁ କୁ ଗାଁ ଜାଳି ଦେଉଛନ୍ତି
ଓ ଅଂଧାର ଦୂର କରିଥିବାର କଥା କହୁଛନ୍ତି, ସେମାନେ ନିର୍ବିବାଦରେ ମଣିଷକୁ ମାରୁଛନ୍ତି
ଓ ଶତ୍ରୁକୁ ନିଧନ ପରେ ଆଶ୍ବସ୍ତ ରହିବା କଥା କହୁଛନ୍ତି
ଗଣତନ୍ତ୍ରର ମତାଧିକାର’ର ଚିଟ୍ ଖଣ୍ଡେ ଧରାଇ,
ସେମାନେ ପୁଣି ଥରେ ଦାସତ୍ବର ଅର୍ଗଳି ଭିତରକୁ ଟାଣି ନେଉଛନ୍ତି
ସେମାନେ ମଣିଷକୁ ବିଭିନ୍ନ ଦଳର ଦଳାଦଳିରେ ବାଂଟି , କାଟି, ଚକଟି
ଖଣ୍ଡିତ କରୁଛନ୍ତି ଓ ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣାଙ୍ଗ ହେଲେ ବୋଲି କହୁଛନ୍ତି
ସେମାନେ ନାରୀ ମାନଙ୍କୁ ବଳତ୍କାର କରି ସେମାନେ ନାରୀସଶକ୍ତିକରଣ
କଥା କହୁଛନ୍ତି, ସେମାନେ ବେକାରି’ର ମହାର୍ଘ କାରଖାନା ଖୋଲି
ହଜାରେ ଦିନରେ ହଜାରେ କାମର ପ୍ରତିଶ୍ରୁତି ଦେଉଛନ୍ତି
ସେମାନେ ପଡିଶାର ଟୋପି ତ୍ରିଶୂଳ ରେ
ଟେକି ଧର୍ମନିରପେକ୍ଷତା’ର ଦୁଆ ଉଠଉଛନ୍ତି ସେମାନେ ଗଣତନ୍ତ୍ରକୁ ଗୁଳି କରି
ଦେଶରେ ରାମ ରାଜ୍ୟର ଜୟଘୋଷ କରୁଛନ୍ତି
ସେମାନେ ମଦ ଦୋକାନ ଖୋଲି ନିଶା ନିବାରଣ କରିବାକୁ କହୁଛନ୍ତି
ସେମାନେ ନାଗରିକମାନଙ୍କ ଅଧିକାର ଲୁଟି ସଂବିଧାନ, ନ୍ୟାୟପାଳିକାକୁ
ଖିନଭିନ୍ କରି ନାଗରିକ ଅଧିକାର ‘କଥା ଉଠାଉଛନ୍ତି
ସେମାନେ ଦେଶକୁ ବିଦେଶ ହାତରେ ଟେକି, ଦେଶ ଭକ୍ତିର ସ୍ଲୋଗାନ୍ ଦେଉଛନ୍ତି ।
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Editor’s Note/Image Credit: Symbolic image—stop the violence [Elena kamphuis/Unsplash].
Lost Is the Name
Lost in a silent land
or swept up by a cloud of whispers.
Entire worlds left in deep space, abandoned
to their savage winters, their burning
stretches of ice over mountains
and empty valleys.
~~~
Continue reading Lost Is the Name by Alexander Etheridge