SIDDIQUE MAHMUDUR RAHMAN[1]
We’ve turned into Islands
Each of us now have turned into isolated islands
There are hundreds of miles apart from each of these islands
Or lofty mountains between one another, or frightening abyss!
Temperament, upbringing, mood, action and deeds
Of each of us are totally different.
As if a herbivorous does not see come near a carnivorous.
If, suddenly, by any chance we come close
Unexpectedly, all at once,
We dare to identify each other.
Each of us now have turned into isolated islands
One can not recognize each other’s speech, it turns illogical
Meaning of one’s dialogue turns to be totally different to other
When one smiles, the other think s it to be crying
If one weeps, the other imagines it as mockery,
As if he is frowning, or is malevolent.
Each of us now have turned into isolated islands
Somebody, as if, lives in polar area, the other in the dry desert
One is staying in the swamp, the other in prairie.
In a vast grassland, there’s no shady tree exist.
Some live in dense forest
The person who lives in the next flat is an alien.
The neighbour is absolutely unfamiliar, talks a different language
We find difficult in keeping union with relative
Lest he requests for loan, or any favour.
Each of us now have turned into isolated islands
Bounded, as if we live in eggs, shelled from outside
We do not dare to come out of the boundary.
We lost all the powers to break the crust.
We do not feel sympathy with the pains of others
We can’t share other’s happiness.
We do not have no feelings left in us.
Each of us now have turned into isolated islands
Self-centered, greedy, vindictive, jealous,
Envious, selfish.
Head over heels, in blood, flesh and nerves we’re abhorrent
We’re insensitive, we dare to stand beside a distressed person
As if his pains by any means shall spread over us
If my child, my inmates get attacked!
Its better we live far away from them.
Each of us now have turned into isolated islands
Gratitude is a word that is unknown to us.
We forget about the favours we got from others
We are shameless, brazen, blatant
But we never fail to snatch other’s share
We feel great satisfaction in it.
As if it’s my share, I shall take
Its their duty to give away.
Each of us now have turned into isolated islands
We feel great pain in sharing anything with others
But are very rapid in taking advantage
Then we forget, or we behave as being forgetful
Or we evade ourselves from the prick of conscience.
Lest we have to show gratitude,
Lest we have to assist or help him.
Lest we have to spend a penny
One single penny is each of our limbs
We feel pain in detaching with it
We feel great pain indeed.
Each of us have turned into
Isolated islands now.
The Deity
The other day I saw a snake.
It was cloudy day, full of dejection
I was counting minutes with
distress and agitation
I was longing for a bright sunny sky.
And then the snake with its bifurcated tongue
Flickering like lightning
Came out of a crevice of the earth.
It was a tiny crack, as thin as a hair,
But the snake easily started to come out of it from it.
Then
As it came out of that fissure it gradually turned bigger and fatter.
Progressively it changed its appearance.
Sometimes it was a tiger, its fierce nails are all protruding,
Menacing froths are coming out of its mouth
Sometimes it is a wee little fawn, fervent and animated
At times it looked like human beings, of different form, colour,
posture and character of North, East, West and South.
Silvery bearded, respectable, like a religious preacher,
Like a attractive, glamorous actress,
Like a scholarly, stooping professor,
Agriculturist, engineer, laborer, peasant, sparkling youth,
Or a lively pubescent.
Sometimes it is like a beautiful bird as a little magpie
Enchanting the environment with beautiful whistling song.
At these spectacular changes some people around me
were enthralled and were mesmerized
They went on commenting about those changes
So much beautiful, so very powerful, so gigantic, so pure and pious.
Some people rushed in carrying garlands, milk, honey,
Rats and nice, cats and dogs with them and
Offering the snake as its food
They went of saying, ‘Be our leader, O snake!’
I saw with great awe that the snake accepted the offerings
And said with a crude smile, I’m your commander,
Address me as your Deity.’
At the poisonous breath these men went on becoming lean and thin.
But they can not feel their evil condition and morbidity
But they went on worshipping the snake with all their might
And went on chanting like priests,
You’re grand, you’re life, you’re our emancipator of thousand years
Some people crushed to death under the huge body of the snake
Still reciting, our death due to you, is great sacrifice and gratification.
The snake went on becoming larger, encircling the locality,
The village, the towns and cities, the country, even the continent.
I understood there’s no salvation from the clutches of this snake.
I thought this is inevitable. There’s no salvation of ther civilization.
Suddenly a slender boy, starving
Walked in with trembling steps
He has a small knife in his hand and a piece of burning charcoal
He looked at me with scorn while crossing, and said courageously,
Nothing is ultimate, except truth
Nothing is permanent, except truth
And there is another end after an end.
These two feeble hands are sufficient to annihilate the snake.
I felt great shame on my hesitation
In supporting and giving hand to that feeble boy.
[1] Siddique Mahmudur Rahman (b. 1946). First book of poem ‘Aar Ektu Somoy’ was published in 2004