Realization

Life becomes stagnant 
On the crossroad of desire and fulfillment. 
The seam of coloured thread threatens to snap
In the conflict and tension of sorrows and happiness. 
The heart swings between 
Belief and skepticism .
Hope is born out of despair. 
In the land of the rising sun 
The ever mysterious mind
Browses through the coloured pages of a book.
We call it life.

A Stanza of Life

I learned from my great grandfather 
How to take a rest in my own shadow.
The river that I saw everyday 
Slowly gained in length and breadth. 
It asserted existence by eroding banks.

The river was blocked by someone somewhere 
And the river lost its existence. 
My shadow became shorter and smaller 
Than it had been before. 
I don't feel like weeping.

I looked up at the bunyan tree
The branches and leaves 
Were strong and fresh. 

The funeral pyre was burning 
Brightly in the crematorium 
Illuminating all around.
The light is left
For the next generation.

Translated by Ananda Bormudoi

Renu Bhuyan is an Assamese poet based in Doomdooma, Tinisukia, Assam.

Click here to read the original Assamese poems.