By Ajit Kumar Bhoi, translated by Pitambar Naik
In one blow the trees fell off, and the birds flew off at once
now the sky is their world, but there are no trees
in the sky, how would they keep their feet?
Now a phobia has swept the gods, how to plant trees?
It’s decided to dump all the faults on the displaced birds
else the gods will be unmasked by the masked humans.
In just one blow the men fell off, and the dead were made
bear the weapons and it’s declared that these were all terror.
In one blow the moon fell down, there’s a phobia
among the lovers, how to love now? A moon is
needed for lovers, a man is needed and a tree too.
About the author:
Ajit Kumar Bhoi graduated from Sambalpur University in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree and started writing poetry in 2015. People’s struggles like displacement, caste atrocities and alienation force him to write. He is a Middle School Teacher. He was born and brought up in Kuliapada, Kalahandi (Odisha) in India.
Pitambar Naik is an advertising copywriter for a living. When he’s not creating ideas for brands, he writes poetry. His work appears or is forthcoming in The McNeese Review, The Notre Dame Review, Packingtown Review, Ghost City Review, Rise Up Review, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, The Indian Quarterly and elsewhere. He’s the author of the poetry collection, The Anatomy of Solitude (Hawakal). He grew up in Odisha and lives in Bangalore, India.