Abhijit Pal

“Preparation - Poem by Malay Roy Choudhury

Who claims I'm ruined? Because I'm without fangs and claws?
Are they necessary? How do you forget the knife
plunged in abdomen up to the hilt? Green cardamom leaves
for the buck, art of hatred and anger
and of war, gagged and tied Santhal women, pink of lungs shattered
by a restless dagger?
Pride of sword pulled back from heart? I don't have
songs or music. Only shrieks, when mouth is opened
wordless odour of the jungle; corner of kin & sin-sanyas;
Didn't pray for a tongue to take back the groans
power to gnash and bear it. Fearless gunpowder bleats:
stupidity is the sole faith-maimed generosity-
I leap on the gambling table, knife in my teeth
Encircle me
rush in from tea and coffee plateaux
in your gumboots of pleasant wages
The way Jarasandha's genital is bisected and diamond glow
Skill of beating up is the only wisdom
in misery I play the burgler's stick like a flute
brittle affection of thev wax-skin apple
She-ants undress their wings before copulating
I thump my thighs with alternate shrieks: VACATE THE UNIVERSE
get out you omnicompetent
conchshell in scratching monkeyhand
lotus and mace and discuss-blade
Let there be salt-rebellion of your own saline sweat
along the gunpowder let the flint run towards explosion
Marketeers of words daubed in darkness
in the midnight filled with young dog's grief
in the sicknoon of a grasshopper sunk in insecticide
I reappear to exhibit the charm of the stiletto.

(Translation of Bengali poem 'Prostuti')”
― মলয় রায়চৌধুরী ( Malay Roychoudhury )

“Chicken Roast
Puff your plume in anger and fight, cock,
delight the owner of knife
smear sting with pollen and flap your wings
As I said: Twist the arms and keep them bent
roll the rug and come down the terrace
after disturbed sleep
Shoeboots-rifle-whirring bullets-shrieks

The aged undertrial in the next cell weeps and wants to go home
Liberate me let me go let me go home
On its egg in the throne the gallinule doses
asphyxiate in dark
fight back, cock, die and fight, shout with the dumb

Glass splinters on tongue-breast muscles quiver
Fishes open their gills and enfog water
A piece of finger wrapped in pink paper
With eyes covered someone wails in the jailhouse
I can't make out if man or woman

Keep this eyelash on lefthand palm-
and blow off with your breath
Fan out snake-hood in mist
Cobra's abdomen shivers in the hiss of female urination
Deport to crematorium stuffing blood-oozing nose
in cottonwool
Shoes brickbats and torn pantaloons enlitter the streets

I smear my feet with the wave picked up from a stormy sea
That is the alphabet I drew on for letters.

(Translation of Bengali original 'Murgir Roast')”
― মলয় রায়চৌধুরী ( Malay Roychoudhury )

“From uncoiled wings of the burning swan

after sea of blood was born out of green caterpillar

that skin sheared moon from cloud’s underbelly

ordered waves to abolish horoscopes on crabs’ breasts

.

On the evergreen epiglotis of lotus full to the brim

the pollen fiddling honey bee waved her double scarf

searched for drunk village of pride red beating crowd

humming songs sleeping side by side of worried distance ( From 'Selected Poems' 1961 - 2004”
― Malay Roychoudhury

“The Light

I get a thud kick in pitch dark thick on belly and tumble
Hands tied at the back on damp floor shack to humble
Lights flash on face eyes blind in case I spin
Then lights go off a boot or two rough on chin
I feel blood drip snail down the lips in trickle
The glare blinks on and off and on and off in ripple
A hot metal rod scalds hard breast broad to snip flesh warm
The lights hem in piercing-thin a ruthless swarm
Red eyes get shut in blinding rut my vision erode
Final blackout in grisly rout in ecliptic node
I prepare my grit to encounter the hit as a fightback code.
--Malay Roychoudhury”
― মলয় রায়চৌধুরী ( Malay Roychoudhury )