Cycling

Pushing the pedals forward

To stream past the houses, trees, and

The memories that lay hidden

In every corner of my little town

I fell in love with cycling.

My face glistening with sweat and

Eyes shining with the joy

Of suburban independence 

I set out charting my small world

A  little explorer.

Maps were formed by the sightings of 

Friends, foes, or abandoned 

Houses with promises of treasure 

Or some murky past that

Lay waiting for me to uncover.

I charted my rides through lonely 

Streets that lay inviting--

Avenues measured in dim streetlamps

And littered with flowers

All pointing me towards home.

For home wasn't a just single place

The lines on the map of my world

Traced a home wherever

It found joy, wonder, or the warmth

Of a familiar 

Place that helped me grow up a little

With every discovery

Someday, on a rainy evening (Ek Din Brishti Te by Anjan Dutt)

Someday, on a rainy evening 
We’d both forget our umbrellas 
And bump into each other 
Drenched from head to toe
While the traffic vanishes around us
Storefronts down their shutters
Lingering in our heart of hearts
The sweet smell of petrichor

Someday, on a rainy evening 
It’ll all certainly come back to us in a jiffy
Broken promises and forgotten blemishes
Pain that’s sweet and dear
While somewhere a lonely radio
Chimes an old love song
Raindrops slowly turn blue 
Against a greying sky
Someday, someday… 
Someday, on a rainy evening…

A fading poster proudly announces
An old sold-out matinee
And the raindrops will hide
Our tears
Pittar patter…pittar patter…
raindrops…tears

Someday, on a rainy evening 
We’ll finally get caught, you’ll see
Fears, tears, and unspoken despair
Finally washed clean
The moment frozen in time
We won’t be able to run and hide
The roads will all be the same
Just the two of us around…

Someday, on a rainy evening 
We’d both forget our umbrellas 
And bump into each other 
Drenched from head to toe
While the traffic vanishes around us
Storefronts down their shutters
Lingering in our heart of hearts
The sweet smell of petrichor

Someday…someday…
Someday…on a rainy evening…

(Translated by Samarpan Dutta)

Ecalyptus (Debdaru by Kabir Suman)

Even though he’s gone, the touch of his hand on mine 
Will persist like the memories that surrender
Where the lone Eucalyptus 
Bows down its head

Even though he’s gone, a sudden whiff of night jasmine
Turns the morning entirely his own
Remembrances transform 
A moment into eternity

Even though he’s gone, the touch of his hand on mine 
Will persist like the memories that that surrender
Where the lone Eucalyptus 
Bows down its head

Even though he’s gone, the eternal play of ebb and tide
Will not cease to caress the waters of the river
Down a familiar lane I will walk
At one with his memories

Even though he’s gone, he really hasn’t has he?
Like so many who never really leave us
The steamer sets off for the horizon
Sending waves galore to the shore

Even though he’s gone, the touch of his hand on mine 
Will persist like the memories that that surrender
Where the lone Eucalyptus 
Bows down its head

(Translated by Samarpan Dutta)