—Poems and Photos by Pijush Kanti Deb, Assam, India
A PEACE-LOVING FAMILY MAN
The open screen of a market
projects a scene of a wrangling
almost ready to set in
but one of the rivals is seen
to show his back to his opponent
before putting two and two together,
saying, “I don’t like fighting,”
and cutting both ways his image
to the disappointed on-looking crowd
interested in enjoying a duel free of cost,
who remark as per the ink in their pens,
“He is gentleman,” some opine
while others oppose, ”No, he is a coward,”
but the returning rival feels the scent of blossoms
blooming somewhere
near to his sweet home—
a dream-house to rear up his dream—
and opens his heart blissfully to admit,
“I’m no other than a peace-loving family man.”
KEEPING THE POT BOILING
The daily crying and sweating
of keeping the pot boiling
compels a common man
to keep a good table
for both an angel and an imp
who arrange the firewood
for his rainy day,
smoke of burning candle wood
or of banyan may fill his kitchen up
yet he sings and dances
with no suffocation
but with all satisfaction
carrying the God and the Devil
on his shoulder by turn,
blessing, cursing,
kissing, spitting,
fame and stain—
all stand in a queue
and knock on his closed door
to give vent to their different feelings
but he remains indifferent to all
looking only at his favorite magical boiling pot
The daily crying and sweating
of keeping the pot boiling
compels a common man
to keep a good table
for both an angel and an imp
who arrange the firewood
for his rainy day,
smoke of burning candle wood
or of banyan may fill his kitchen up
yet he sings and dances
with no suffocation
but with all satisfaction
carrying the God and the Devil
on his shoulder by turn,
blessing, cursing,
kissing, spitting,
fame and stain—
all stand in a queue
and knock on his closed door
to give vent to their different feelings
but he remains indifferent to all
looking only at his favorite magical boiling pot
SHOULDERS
Shoulders—
The blessings of love for you and me
Shoulders—
A belief to be made for each other
Shoulders—
A feeling of winning the heart of earthly paradise
Shoulders—
Pride for both but envy for others
Shoulders—
An altar of unbreakable trust and ascertainment
Shoulders—
Spontaneous bowing down in love and care
Shoulders—
The evergreen mine of comfort and peace
Shoulders—
A swearing of protection and freedom for good
Shoulders—
The outstretching responsible arms to pull the destiny nearer
Shoulders—
The soft coffin to shelter the stony lifeless body forever.
Today’s LittleNip:
What is a poet? An unhappy person who conceals profound anguish in his heart but whose lips are so formed that as sighs and cries pass over them they sound like beautiful music.
—Soren Kierkegaard
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Pijush Kanti Deb (featured on Medusa 11/28/14) is a new Indian poet from Assam, India who writes in English and Bengali and has around 252 published or accepted poems and haiku in around 81 national and international magazines and journals (print and online), such as Down in the Dirt, Tajmahal Review, Pennine Ink, Hollow Publishing, Creativica Magazine, Muse India, Teeth Dream Magazine, Hermes Poetry Journal, Grey Borders, Dagda Publishing, Blognostic, Black Mirror Magazine, Dissident Voice Journal, Indiana Voice Journal, and many more. His biggest achievement so far is the publication of his first poetry collection, Beneath The Shadow Of A White Pigeon, published by Hollow Publishing and available on Amazon.
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—Medusa
Pijush Kanti Deb