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

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.