#Title

If I Speak
SHAHID QADRI
Tell me what to say when I need to speak,
If I have to say something,
So what can I say: look at that
Body of the night glowing
Like a negro woman in silver ornaments
Or if I say: sweet-voiced rivers
Still singing—
No one will listen to
These poetic words.
If I have to say something
I will say: the navigability of our rivers
Is decreasing bit by bit; in North Bengal
Winter clothing is a must-go;
America or Beijing—a helping hand
To whom to extend to? In this regard,
What does civil society think today?
Whose voice will I adorn with
This pearl pendant of poetry?
I know assassins spread around in my town.
Many a time I wanted to use poetry
As a weapon to kill them.
But poetry wanders only where
Boys tangle in afternoon playgrounds with colored balls,
Or hide its face in the darkness of women’s hair.
This poem has been translated by Md Mehedi Hasan . He teaches English at North Western University, Khulna.
DESIGN: AMREETA LETHE