An enigmatic poem by Prabal about inheritance – an exclusive for Different Truths.
After the demise of my father I started looking through the trash he left behind While throwing away most something suddenly caught my attention in the junk There was a lane that he had left behind Later I had understood That lane was my sole inheritance When he was alive, he hadn’t mentioned this lane ever Whether he got it from his father Or this lane led to anywhere For whatever reason That information was undisclosed What would I do with this lane? Before comprehending this simple fact I found myself ambling through this lane Hoping that lane must lead me To the highway Father had left me years ago but since I got into that lane from narrow to wide from straight to twisted neither of those lanes could lead me to the highway Did my father, too, waste his life by getting himself into a lane like this and wandering forever around the labyrinth? Or does an inherited lane Never lead to a highway?
Translated from Bengali by Armaan Singh
Picture design by Anumita Roy, Different Truths
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.
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