The Strides
The strides together
Advance
That was the desire of the steps
Till the other day.
The whipping of time
Taught the strides to be longer.
To catch up with the long strides
The paces following became faster.
A time came
When paces entered into contests
And quick paces became races.
The strides became grave and expensive.
The racing paces got tired
Became haunchbacked and started crawling.
Contests barred the path of return.
Losing their own footprints
The strides began to quarrel among themselves.
Thus the bold strides die out one day.
Footprints trail off
On the dusty path behind
We fix time to leave footprints
The paces become races
Without our knowledge.
The strides are our lives
The strides are fulfillment.
Strides live and die in fulfillment
Strides abide.
The Still Picture
The day breaks always
Each day becomes night
We may
Or maynot be there.
Daylight makes
The leaves beautiful
The river creates
A new basin everyday
The Sun, moon and the stars
Change places everyday
Where is permanence?
The flower that blossoms forth
Looking at the sun
Does not know its destination
It may be a temple's
Plate for offerings
Or a wreath for a dead body.
You and me
May or maynot be there
Action continues unabated
And silently a river
Abandons a stream.
Each moment
Changes life
The stone breaking stone
Commemorates action.
Translated by Ananda Bormudoi
Renu Bhuyan is an Assamese poet based in Doomdooma, Tinsukia, Assam. She has published one collection of poems.