Fiction & Poetry

Sunday Poem: Love In The Lines Of The Gun

By
OB Bureau

I have not come to this city of perfumes
to pluck flowers for you.

My eyes are lost in the sky of the birds
that you released from your cage.
The tongue that used to howl its love for you

now beats drums for productions of popular plays.

The villain wrings the neck
of a live, fluttering desi chicken.
The drops of blood scatter
across the spread of your village
and my fragrant city.

Are you still not in receipt
of the letter that consumed
the October of my blood?
Did the last flower of the earth
that I plucked for you
manage to touch your plaits?
Did you get my lonesome message
from the trunk of that wayward cloud?

Today you sit with your back
glued to the wall
like a gun in a secret gathering.
I spend the last flickering light of my life
trying to learn ways of pulling your trigger;
I want to hold you tight against my chest today
and to finally make you fire.
Only if firing you was as easy as firing a bullet.

I have not come to this city of perfumes
to pluck flowers for you.

 

(Kedar Misra (b. 1971) is a leading poet in Odia and has published several collections including Shunya Abhisara (2003), Raga Kedar (2008), Premara Dura Geeta (2014), and ‘E Nuhen Mora Desha’ (2020).

OB Bureau

Recent Posts

Attack On Dharmasala MLA In Odisha: BJD, BJP Trade Charges Over Police Action

Jajpur: Ruling BJP and Opposition BJD were engaged in trading charges against each other on…

November 24, 2024

After Jaiswal-Kohli-Bumrah Heroics, Can India Beat Australia By Record Margin In 1st Test?

Perth: It was the perfect day of Test cricket for Team India. The visiting team…

November 24, 2024

Youth Beats Old Mother To Death In Odisha’s Angul

Angul: A youth allegedly beat his old mother to death following an argument over a…

November 24, 2024

Virat Kohli Thanks Anushka After Breaking Century Drought [Watch]; Check His Feats

Perth: He hadn’t scored a Test century for 16 months. His previous 15 Test knocks…

November 24, 2024

BJD’s Minority Cell Stages Protest Against Waqf Bill In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: The members of BJD's minority cell staged a demonstration in front of Raj Bhavan…

November 24, 2024

System Over Bay Of Bengal To Trigger Rain In Odisha, Push Up Night Temp By 2-4°C

Bhubaneswar: Dense fog reduced visibility in Odisha's Rourkela while moderate fog engulfed Koraput, Bhawanipatna and…

November 24, 2024

IPL Auction: Rishabh Pant Sold At Record Rs 27 Cr After Shreyas Iyer Fetches Rs 26.75 Cr

Mumbai: Shreyas Iyer may be out of the Indian team currently, but the dashing right-handed…

November 24, 2024

What Did PM Narendra Modi Take From Odisha As Gift During 3-Nation Visit?

Bhubaneswar: A rare and exquisitely crafted Filigree boat made of pure silver from Odisha was…

November 24, 2024