The New Nation - Internet Edition

The promise

The promise was between us.

The promise was as such

At the end of our studies

We would get married

For which by that time

We were not worried.

The promise was for a cottage

Which would be easily made

On the bank of the river

And which would be nicely decorated.

The promise between us was

Also for making a school-building

Where our profession would be teaching.

The promise was for playing

Flute at our cottage in the evening.

The promise was uttered

not from the lips

and not from the mouth

but it was rightly uttered

from the core of the heart,

What we had not!

Everything we had,

What we had at our lips

we had also that in our heart,

Alas! Everything went in vain.

Long before I missed her

so the promise remains same

as it was earlier.

Stars were in shame

The earth looks nice from far

when it is covered with dark.

The stars cannot tolerate

such beauty of the earth.

So they called an emergency meeting

and they wanted to know

the reasons of earth's nice-looking.

But they found nothing

and went to the moon

who was requested soon

to remove dark

from the surface of the earth

As I move in dark

with the help of sun-light

so I have no power

to remove dark'

the moon replied.

Thus the stars' request

was rejected totally.

With the moon's reply

the stars were surprised really.

With the moon's behaviour

though not partly

yet the stars were

in shame fully.

Dr. Sirajul Karim

How long more

Shujauddin Kaisar

A couple-night has fallen

on the bush of jessmine and chameli

in the corner of the porch,

darkness dominates the love

and passion held captive in a steel frame.

Are my eyes burning to ashes ?

The night sans the underworld reigns the corridor,

my mind keeps gazing,

the balcony and the attic of the flat

are cottage industry simultaneously

or vibrant youth?

By rotation the night of affliction

gets engraved like a Brahmin boy,

someone gets mingled

as dictated by age-old customs,

how long more shall I see the pull of magnet ?

Translated by Saidur Rahman