Source of Thought


How shall I reach the source of thought?
Fierce shadows. Poison storms.
Tears fall deep
on half-bloomed rain-trees.

Wherever fields glow with gold,
stars drape themselves in night-silk.

Not all innocence
is as slender as a leaf.

(Translated from Bengali by the author)

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Geographical

Some people resemble semicolons—
others, lips—
unfinished autobiographies.

Some carry hyphens deep inside,
quietly pinning dawns
to the back of a bull.

And some are safety pins—
gripping night poles,
piercing the hush.

(Self-translated by the author)

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E.M.I

Everything’s cheap these days.
Everything—
on installments:

TV, fridge,
a plot of land—

even a night
in the red-light district.

And yes—
your surname too.
Your birth—
and soon, love—

will all come
with a price tag.

Just wait.
Watch for the ads.

(English version by the author)
Originally published in the Bengali commercial magazine Ajker Sampurna (2016)

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Fiza

Before you stab me in the back,
won’t you pause at the coffee shop?

See how I’m killing myself—
standing here,
hijacking edits
from carbon clouds.

Leaving the graveyard’s edge,
I suck the chin of this vampire life.

I vomit on the tanpura
of this rotting age.

O civilization—
go on, make your demand:

Rub the fevered lump.
Let naphthalene love
vanish—
without a trace.

(Translated from Bengali by the author)
Originally published in Bengali in Dashbhorir Flyover (2019; 2nd edition 2020)

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Translator’s Note:
Fiza is a Persian-Urdu word meaning “atmosphere” or “air”—often evoking emotional intensity or oppression. This poem fuses existential protest with images of decay and disillusionment. The tanpura, a classical Indian drone instrument, symbolizes faded continuity. Naphthalene, used to preserve garments, becomes a metaphor for love that’s been sterilized and sealed away. The final line—“vanish without a trace”—echoes a cry for erasure of corrupted affection.

About the Poet:

Nabakumar Podder is a Bengali poet and translator whose work explores contemporary themes through vivid imagery and emotional depth. He translates his own Bengali poems into English, and his work has appeared in various international publications.