Background

by Bibhu Padhi (November 2014)

The bass strain of your voice

reminds me of my past,

my dark inheritances,

period of guilt,

the earthquake days,

the flood’s immeasurable gravity.

 

The sea is here, under my

bare feet, unseen by everyone

except me. The memories

of cyclones and sea voyages

carry me to ancestral days—

days remembered and conceived.

 

No one knows of these

themes, no one participates

in earth’s hunger, its mischief,

beginning with the storms

in mid-ocean, the ships carrying

the dead where they belonged.

 

Today everything is remembered

in the middle of sleep, with

each turn of the moments,

including moments of my grief.

The sea turns at my feet,

with your voice, its humility.

 

___________________________

 

Bibhu Padhi’s eighth and ninth books of poetry, Magic Ritual and Brief Seasons: 60 Love Songs, appeared almost back to back earlier this year. He lives with his family in Bhubaneswar, India.

 

To comment on this poem, please click here.

To help New English Review continue to publish original poetry such as this, please click here.

If you enjoyed this poem and would like to read more by Bibhu Padhi, please click here.

 

image_pdfimage_print

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

New English Review Press is a priceless cultural institution.
                              — Bruce Bawer

The perfect gift for the history lover in your life. Order on Amazon US, Amazon UK or wherever books are sold.

Order on Amazon, Amazon UK, or wherever books are sold.

Order on Amazon, Amazon UK or wherever books are sold.

Order on Amazon or Amazon UK or wherever books are sold


Order at Amazon, Amazon UK, or wherever books are sold. 

Order at Amazon US, Amazon UK or wherever books are sold.

Available at Amazon US, Amazon UK or wherever books are sold.

Send this to a friend