Here’s a poem by Prabal that critiques and makes fun of the self – an exclusive for Different Truths.

Meat is my favourite food
And among the fleshes of
The chicken or a duck
or
The lamb or a deer
The pig is the one
that allures me the most
 
I have thought enough on this, tried to understand
That which attribute of the pig
It makes me weaker to its meat
As Swine is not that innocent
Such as a chick, a sheep or a deer!
 
But the fact remains elsewhere
Whenever I got myself to eat a pig
I felt like
Getting intensive and unbiased
Into an indescribable moonlight
Between an unwanted downpour
and in the beauty of a bird’s eyes
Only the pig is the one animal
That resembles a human trait so well
 
So that the taste of a pig
It reminds my tongue of the
The flesh of my own
That clouds my disabilities
And entertains my senses
With an organic feeling

That is what the other meats lack.

Translated from Bengali by Armaan Singh

Picture design by Anumita Roy, Different Truths

Prabal Kumar Basu

Prabal Kumar Basu is an influential poet in the post-independence Bengali Literature scenario. He started writing poetry during the early eighties and has to credit 17 volumes of poetry, two short story collections, three essay collections, and one verse-drama in Bengali. His works have been translated into various Indian and foreign languages. A passionate advocate for the revival of verse drama, he has been associated with its production and performance poetry.