রূপান্তর

সেই কবে, বহুদিন আগে
বসন্ত বেলায় বেঁধে ক্ষনিকের ঘর
মৌসুমী সখী মম, দেখেছিল
সপনের ঘোরে,
আমার রূপান্তর |

ঘর লাগা চোখে সুন্দরীতমা
চেয়েছিল মুখ পানে
কাছে সরে এসে, একান্ত গোপনে
বলেছিল কানে কানে:

”আমি দেখেছি তোমায়,
সাঝের বেলায়
চলেছ আমারি সাথে .
হেটেছি দুজন, খানিকটা ক্ষণ
হাত ধরা ছিল হাতে |

বেলা ফুরোলে, ফুরোলো পথও
দাঁড়ালে নদীর তীরে
অস্ফুট স্বরে বললে কি যেন
দেখলে আমাকে ফিরে |

তারপর, কি যে হলো
পলক ফিরতে দেখি
আমার চেনা
তোমার শরীর,
এক মুহুর্তে, বদলে গেল !.
যেন এই স্বাভাবিক
এমনি কথা ছিল !”

“কোন একদিন, জানিনাত কবে
হয়ত এমনি হবে …
স্বপন নদীর তীরে
তুমি মহীরুহ হয়ে রবে |”

সুর্যের রথে চেপে সময় গিয়েছে চলে,
সময় যেমন যায়.
চপলা ষোড়শী হারিয়েছে সেও ,
স্মৃতিরা যেমন হারায় |.
সাত সাগরের পাড় থেকে
জীবন নিয়েছে তারে ডেকে |

আর আমার

জীবন থাকেনি থেমে
যেমন থামেনা কারো
হেঁটে হেঁটে গিয়েছি চলে
পথ আরো আরো |.
জীবনের প্রয়োজনে
শরীর হয়েছে পটু খাদ্য অন্নেষণে |

বদলেছে মনও, বুঝেছে সেও
বিষাদ অপেখ্খা বিস্মৃতি শ্রেয়
কল্পনদী, অবাক বৃখ্খ,
কদাচ পরে না মনে |

একদা হঠাত, বহুদিন পরে
মনের ভিতরে, গহন অন্তরে
অশরীরী আকার কারা পায়েচারী করে |

তারা ডেকে নেয় মরে, সপনের ঘোরে
জীবন নদীর পাড়ে যেথা
চিরায়ত খেলা করে |.

দিধা সকলি অবসানে
প্রাণ ফিরে আসে প্রাণে
চোখ মেলে দেখি –
জলের শরীর মোর
মিশে গাছে জলে
ঘটেছে রূপান্তর
নবজন্ম পলে |

হাজার বছরের পাড়ে
অচীন বৃখ্খ এক রয়েছে দাড়ায়ে
চিনতে পার কি তারে?

Red dwarf

খসে পড়া নক্ষত্রের মত
দ্রূত পতনশীল
রাতের শেষ সিগারেটের
লাল আলো
অনুসরণ করে আমার ক্রমশ:
ঝাপসা হয়ে আসা
নিদ্রাতুর চোখের দৃষ্টি।

দ্রুত, অতি দ্রুত শেষ হয়
নির্বীর্য, আশাভঙ্গের সেই পর্ব|
নিঃশেষিত নিকোটিন শলাকার
নিরাসক্ত গমন পথ
ব্যার্থ হয়
কোনো নতুন ছন্দের জন্ম দিতে|

জীবনানন্দ, রবীন্দ্রনাথ, ফ্রস্ট, পো
একে একে ফিরে যান সকলে
সমভাবে ব্যার্থ হয়ে
অরন্যরোদন আর কতকাল?
অমৃত, সে চিরদিনই অমৃত – সত্য|
কিন্তু তা ধারণ করবার পাত্র কোথায়?

ভাঙ্গা হাঁড়ি তবু চেষ্টা করে যায়
আরো কিছুক্ষণ, নিজেকে জোড়া লাগাবার,
চেষ্টা করে ইতস্তত ছড়ানো
বিশৃঙ্খল অংশগুলোকে
কোনো এক দৈব জাদুবলে
সুসজ্জিত করতে,
ঘাটে ঘাটে মেলাতে.
এতে সে খানিকটা সফলও হয়ত হয়
কিন্তু দিনের আলোয় সবই
ভ্রান্ত প্রমান হয়।

দিনের আলো তাই চাই না আর
মুমুর্ষ দানবের রক্তচক্ষু কটাক্ষই কাম্য।
সুসংবদ্ধ ছন্দ, ছত্র, ছবির প্রয়োজন নেই,
প্রয়োজন নেই সুষম ভাব, ভাষা, ভালবাসার
পতনশীল নক্ষত্রের নিষ্ফল আক্রোশ যদি
আজ রাতে
জন্ম দিতে পারে
একটি অগ্নিময়, নারকীয় দুঃস্বপ্নের|

Translation
[neither good nor accurate but who cares! its mine]


Like a dead star
Falling fast
the fiery red
of the last cigarette, is chased
by these two
stony, sleepy eyes.

Quickly, too quickly it ends -
The episode of sterile disillusionment.
The tracks made in space
By the careless nicotine bearer
Fails to produce
Any new beat.

Jivanananda, Tagore, Frost and Poe
All retires
Equally unsuccessful…
How long can they beat a dead horse anyway?
True that elixir of life will last all eternity
But where is the pot to hold it in?

So the cracked pot keeps at it
For a li’l while longer, trying to mend itself,
wishing for some sort of divine intervention
That’d collect all the pieces
And set them straight
they way they ought to be.
And he does it too, at least it seems that way, for a bit
Till the light of day
says otherwise.

So, no more light, no more day,
For the glare of the dying Cyclops – I pray
Rhymes, rhythms and reflections are unwanted
No need for wisdom, women or words
If tonight the falling giant
In its desperate rage
Can provide
A fiery, red, nightmare.

"this gray spirit yearning in desire"

"How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnished, not to shine in use!
As though to breath were life. Life piled on life
Were all to little, and of one to me
Little remains: but every hour is saved
From that eternal silence, something more,
A bringer of new things; and vile it were
For some three suns to store and hoard myself,
And this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought."

"The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in the old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are,
One equal-temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

Quotations from Ulysses in Odyssey III.

Just the words I needed to hear.

Clock's ticking boy,…gotta make good

Walking down the forest...You’ve been walking for a while; could be days, or months or years. Presently, something catches your eyes. Something like ...a pot. There,...on the ground. What is it made of? Is it shiny?

Its a clay pot. So what do you do with it? Nothing? Don’t you want to pick it up? Take it with you? No? Okay then.

It’s a shabby li’l clay pot. And you don’t even want that.

…………

Years later...

----

Didn’t think you’d be here, but here you are! Again! Through no fault or credit of your own. May be it was what they say it is. Its all written. Hell, you probably wrote it yourself!

So, how much of it did you really write you think? I mean, seriously, do you even have a clue? Tell me then, Where you are? Now? Whats that? You don't know where exactly? You don’t know for sure? LOL!

Boy, boy, boy! Wasn’t that supposed to be your 'super power'? Knowing whats what, despite the size and shape and smell or boxes they come in? Tsk! tsk! tsk! This is a little disappointing.

Painted yourself into a tight little spot. Haven’t you? Right! That we don’t know yet. Heck, for all you know, you never even picked up a paint brush to begin with. It probably doesn’t matter,...whether you’ve done it, or not. Things happened anyway. That much is true? And they happened, not just for you, but for the world around you. How is it now? Your own corner of the world?

It looks a li’l messed up. Doesn’t it? Your mind, your body, your home, your family, your friends, your newspaper headlines,…looks a bit shabby. Eh? Now, you can’t possibly be blamed! You’d done nothing. Have you? Or whatever you’ve done, your intentions were pure? I mean, as pure as anyone’s. No need to get all defensive. Noone’s judging.

Whats that? You never had a chance? Oh ho ho! You know that’s not true. You did nothing wrong? Okay, lets say that much is true. Did you do it right? Or do at all to begin with? Lol…

A lot of cleaning up to do boy. Not for you to do. But then again, it is your reality. You decide what to do. If you think it needs cleaning up, well,...you'd better find a mop. How much you can do? Well, not much of course! Probably nothing at all. Then again, it is Your reality.

It is upto you what kinda pot you want…or what you want to do with it. But you got to walk upto it...on your own two feet...you gotta put in the miles. You've got to find it…see it for yourself…and then, make your choice. Only then you can make for the exit,…pot in hand or not…, but you got to be there first.

Otherwise, you end up going in circles. Round and round a shabby li’l pot, never really knowing whats in it, never knowing whether to keep it, or to give it away…never knowing how to get out,...never moving on...

So, you need one more chance. You got all the chances you want. As long as you are there…you got ‘em….and then some. Perhaps you could use a little help figuring out how to make good on all that. Everyone does I suppose…and you do too.

A li’l tricky, getting help – figuring out what to ask for, who to ask…how to ask and then, how to take it. Very tricky indeed! Especially for you boy…I know. But its better if you do it, better if you do it now. Clock's ticking boy,…You gotta make good.

original story

There is no such thing…as an original story
None of it is made up
Its all something that you’ve seen
Dreamt about
Or known all along
You’ve been there…even if you don know when.

We are gathered here to witness
The final act
The last performance
Of the play
This however, is hardly the end…
there will be other plays.
But for now, from what I hear,
You r in for a treat.

We are all here…eager to hear
The stories that were never told
Stories we knew
Before time, But for the time,
time forgot.

The world has its heroes
All 1’s and 0’s
Not sure who’se winning tho
Wonder how things turn gray
Even when the dress code is strictly black and white.

As for me, I don’t know it any better
But then again, may b I do…as do u.

Like I said, I don’t know
But guess what tho…
Sometimes…a lot of times…
It all comes together
And the contradictions rest in perfect harmony
When I sit down at tea
With the holy trinity –

The old body
The young heart
And ancient soul

It all makes pefect sense,
Even tho I got no clue
None what so ever

Voodoo blues

it takes a voodoo woman
To get me goin
O it’s a voodoo woman
Who gets me there
Its a voodoo woman
I sit up and notice
Only a voodoo woman
C’d make me care.

She’s gotta know
Gotta know,
Gotta know
know the magic right
o get it just right

Come voodoo woman
Come take my hand
I’m your magic man baby
It was me all along.
You need me as I need you
U know this much is true
Aint nobody can make it
Make it the way we do
So, Come take my hand woman
Lets c this through

come do your thing woman
do it
do it
do it
the way u only can

rant

There is no such thing…as an original story
None of it is made up
Its all something that you’ve seen
Dreamt about
Or known all along
You’ve been there…even if you don know when.

We are gathered here to witness
The final act
The last performance
This however, is hardly the end…there will be other plays.
But for now, from what I hear,
You r in for a treat.

We are all here…eager to hear
The stories that were never told
Stories we knew
Before time, But for the time,
time forgot

The world has its heroes
All 1’s and 0’s
Not sure who’se winning tho
Wonder how things turn gray
Even when the dress code is strictly black and white.

As for me, I don’t know it any better
But then again, may b I do…as do u.

Like I said, I don’t know
But guess what tho…
Sometimes…a lot of times…
It all comes together
And the contradictions rest in perfect harmony

When I sit down at tea
With the holy trinity –
The old body
The young heart
And ancient soul
It all makes pefect sense,
Even tho I got no clue
None what so ever

Nature by Numbers

The little prince

“And at night you will look up at the stars. Where I live everything is so small that I cannot show you where my star is to be found. It is better, like that. My star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watch all the stars in the heavens. . . they will all be your friends. And, besides,
I am going to make you a present. . .

“…That is my present. Just that. It will be as it was when we drank the
water. . .”

“All men have the stars,” he answered, “but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems. For my businessman they were wealth. But all these stars are silent. You– you alone– will have the stars as no one else has them–”

“In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night. . . you– only you– will have stars that can laugh!” And he laughed again.

“And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me. You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure. . . and your friends will be properly astonished to see you laughing as you look up at the sky! Then you will say to them, ‘Yes, the stars always make me laugh!’ And they will think you are crazy. It will be a very shabby trick that I shall have played on you. . . ”

“It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh. . . ”

~ The little prince

BB gave me this book 5 years ago. I kept it, took it with me while I was away…but never read it. That’s all right,…this was the perfect time to read it.

There is a little prince in all of us, somewhere, fallen from the stars…one that knows the way back to his rose…Its just that all the ‘matters of consequence’ keep us away from him. I recommend this book to all grown ups; might help us see what’s truly essential…things that are indivisible to the eye…

What will it be?

পেছনে কেউ নেই, সামনেও নেই কেউ।
প্রবীণরা যে পথটি সাফ করেছিলেন বন্ধ হয়েছে সেটি।
এবং অন্য যে পথ, সকলের পথ,
প্রশস্ত আর সরল, যায়নি কোথাও।
একলা আমি - খুঁযে ফিরি আমার পথ।

~ ধর্মকির্তী

“No one behind, no one up front.
The path cleared by elders is no more.
And the other way, followed by all,
Wide and clear, goes nowhere.
Alone I, keep searching for mine.”

~ Dharmakirti

Some say that in walking a way, it may not be necessary to know where it goes; it is the walk that matters. It, however, could be worthwhile to know where its been…to know if its at all my way…So, I’m trying to look back…trying to know my roots…with the help of a Mexican poet,…In light of India…

Birth, Fornication, Death…
…Creation, Original sin, Salvation…
….Life, Karma, Nirvana…

What will it be?

The shackles and of Karma and its consequences,
Or the thoughtful, lonely quest for Nirvana?

An answer could be found in the conversations between Arjun, the mythical hero and Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu…Not sure if it’s the answer for you, but an answer no less…

Arjun, the fierce Pandav warrior was tormented by doubts and confusion before a battle. His friend and spiritual mentor Krishna told him to do his heroic duty, which would mean shedding the blood of his kinsmen. Arjun was surprised because it was Krishna himself who on previous occasions had told him that the impassive path of wisdom, which leads to freedom (Nirvana) is higher than the path of worldly duties, - Karma, which gives way to delusions.

Krishna explained that even though the previous is true, there are some Karma that can also free the soul. These are the deeds done impassively, keeping the self indifferent. He said, “I have completed these three worlds and have nothing to gain from these (the worlds have already been created, sustained and ended…for the timeless gods)…yet I partake in these activities…”. So, it is possible to achieve Karmaless Karma...doing for the sake of doing…not doing them for gain or consequence.

Arjun understood. On the battlefield he watched himself, detached from himself…he knew that neither the one doing, or the one watching, is him,…although they both are…him…He is Arjun but again not Arjun…but a nameless entity who is in everything.

gas 'em please!

Hearts of War. WHY o Why did I waste two hours of my life watching it! Compared to this, even sex and the city would have been better. These are troubling times, times when idiots think they can make a WW II movie and dish it out to people and they succeed!!! WHO the fuck paid for this movie to be made? Who was the asshole that read the script and decided to go for it! And the acting o m GOD! I'm a pretty peaceful sort of guy...at least I used to be before watching this crap. But the idea of taking the whole lot...the writer, director, producers and whole cast and crew to the gas chambers doesn't feel bad at all! Somebody please do it...and while you are at it...please take me with 'em too! I watched the whole damned thing...I don't deserve to live!

Trippin

Today I’m high on something but
00000Not sure what.
Granted, it is a good day
The sun is up (and will stay up)
People will make merry… dancing around trees…
and later in the night it’s all about the birds and the bees
…(if u know what I mean)
00000Glad midsommer!
As for me, if nothing else, there will be free booz!
0000000000But its none of that

It could be the blackout,
00000God knows how I missed ‘em!
And the midnight sun and candle lights
00000(even if scented vanilla!)
Might have played a part
0000000000But its not that either

In the end, it was just a dream…
00000Tripping on sleeping pills…
An impossible, silly li’l dream…
with not much happening
no happy ending,… nothing at all
00000and still,
0000000000- A good dream!

I reached the end of my journey (for now)
00000There is nothing to report
The puzzle is still unsolved…and perhaps
will stay that way forever
the pieces r too many…far too many
And multiplying by the minute
00000…degenerating, decaying, losing relevance, ...
0000000000(But at least,...now I know how it rolls)

So there, thats all there is
00000No triumph, no glory
00000No salvation, no story
0000000000not even the faintest promise of any
Just a stupid li’l dream,… tripping…
00000with u in it

And all the rest can go to hell

Recalling the lizard king

[Came across these while browsing through play lists in Spotify...didn't want them to get lost.]

"You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can't be any large-scale revolution until there's a personal revolution, on and individual level. It's got to happen inside first. You can take away a man's political freedom and you won't hurt him- unless you take away his freedom to feel. That can destroy him. That kind of freedom can't be granted. Nobody can win it for you."

"Most people love you for who you pretend to be. To keep their love, you keep pretending- performing. You get to love your pretence. It's true, we're locked in an image, an act- and the sad thing is, people get so used to their image, they grow attached to their masks. They love their chains. They forget all about who they really are. And if you try to remind them, they hate you for it, they feel like you're trying to steal their most precious possession."

"A hero is someone who rebels against the facts of existence and seems to conquer them. Obviously that can only work at moments. It can't be a lasting thing. That's not saying that people shouldn't keep trying to rebel against the facts of existence."

Source: http://www.thinkexist.com/english/Author/x/Author_3276_1.htm

Face-off

Its been a while since I sent anything to a news paper...like 12 years or so. Hate to admit it but its always nice to c your name in print. :)

http://edailystar.com/index.php?opt=view&page=10&date=2010-06-01

Its the entry titles face-off. I actually gave it a much boring title...some guy with sense did me a huge favor in changing it. Thank u guy, who ever u r. :D

stone...d

sometimes it happens
somewhere along the way
someone finds it sitting there
sitting there on a chair
one's very own
stone
stone cold, stony...stone!
stone, u rock!

so i come and sit
sit by my stone,
(or sometimes,..right on it)
all right there
just sit and stare
starin at my stone...
my cold, old ancient stone.

all stones r ancient
as r all souls
so the story goes
C'est la vie...

so come, sit
get stoned with me

overrated

If you ask me, going after the truth is like
Trying to tackle a crab without the proper utensils
Too much work for too li’l meat
I’m done with all that
Truth is overrated

You heard the story about the three blind guys
Going to check out an elephant?
The one catching the trunk called it a snake
The one finding a leg called it a tree and the one
Tugging on the tail…well, you get my drift

But let me just ask you people
You who think u know your elephant
What if the thing u c standing over there,
The thing u call the elephant,
Is not really there
OR
Its being there,
Is but of li’l consequence


Anyhoo, all of that bores me now
Knowing, not knowing, half knowing
All truths r half truths
All lies r half lies
Like crappy intrigues of a badly made soap
(is there any other kind?)
that goes on and on and on
to keep the mass of stupid fucks drugged
and when it finally wears off…
this is how u go thru withdrawal -
make a fuss about nothing
and then wonder
what am I on about anyway?

no worries, sooner or later we all find
the next fix

voice of honest indignation

"Isaiah answer'd. 'I saw no God, nor heard any, in a finite organical perception; but my senses discover'd the infinite in every thing, and as I was then perswaded, & remain confirm'd, that the voice of honest indignation is the voice of God, I cared not for consequences but wrote.'
Then I asked: 'does a firm perswasion that a thing is so, make it so?'
He replied: 'All poets believe that it does, & in ages of imagination this firm perswasion removed mountains"

~ William Blake
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

"the doors of perception"

[stumbled onto these while looking up an old friend]



"The ancient tradition that the world will be consumed in fire at the end of six thousand years is true, as I have heard from Hell.
For the cherub with his flaming sword is hereby commanded to leave his guard at the tree of life, and when he does, the whole creation will be consumed and appear infinite and holy whereas it now appears finite & corrupt.

This will come to pass by an improvement of sensual enjoyment.

But first the notion that man has a body distinct from his soul is to be expunged; this I shall do, by printing in the infernal method, by corrosives, which in Hell are salutary and medicinal, melting apparent surfaces away, and displaying the infinite which was hid.

If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite."

~ William Blake
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

fire cholo...aponar deshe

The Bauls are a sect of mystic singers roaming the far-flung tracts of rural Bengal. These songs never fail to mystify the mind of an average Bengali. We are deeply moved by them, even if we don’t really know why.

declaration

I’ll play your game but on my own terms. I come and go as I please.
I’m behind schedule but thats okay; this is just the way I roll.
And you can burn that score card in your hands…Your rules and rewards
mean nothing to me.

Make no mistake; I got nothing to prove,...to you
or to anyone else.