Monkey Business
Syed Manzoorul Islam Translated from Bangla by Noora Shamsi Bahar It was as if my Baba was born to carry the dead weight of the world on his shoulders and lead a life of misery.
Syed Manzoorul Islam Translated from Bangla by Noora Shamsi Bahar It was as if my Baba was born to carry the dead weight of the world on his shoulders and lead a life of misery.
Syed Manzoorul Islam Translated from Bangla by Noora Shamshi Bahar The title of the story could have been “Tiger”, just “Tiger”, as, for a few days in 1971, a tiger had been the cause of
Syed Manzoorul Islam Translated from Bangla by Arifa Ghani Rahman Maidul’s mother was skinny – she looked as though a strong wind would blow her away. Her anemic face was framed by thin runaway strands
Kamal Chowdhury War-child looking for mother. Mother remains a face in the mistCannot erase that accursed birth-mark, somany children in the world come in search of mothers. After each war, the sun rises as usual
Kamal Chowdhury Still bleak dust particles hang down an open skyAs you start measuring emptinessThose who look for you in the bends ofLanes, streets and walkways stepping farFrom wind’s trembling, they areUseless punctuation and closed
Kamal Chowdhury In the trees of the dead I’ve hung a white doveYou can call for Peace now! Because I’ll tie on the body of fallen leaves a mystic omMagic realism beckons this day.Lonelier than
Kamal Chowdhury A three-day walk to the east will get you to the city- domes, columns and copper sculptures all around. A golden rooster crows in a mysterious way in the mornings. Many years after
Kamal Chowdhury Before hunting for birds, don’t forgetI also need wings.At your gun-powder scent, the warmth slides from feathers.On strange days, searching for leaves lost bythe trees, I too lament. On these fractured days,our village