I'll read some poetry today

I’ll read some poetry today
By Abdullah Al Mamun


I’ll chase the clouds today to see where they are headed.
I’ll probe the night sky to find out why the stars spy on us.
I’ll stretch back with my eyes wide open,
Yet see nothing.
I’ll listen to John Denver today,
To fill up my senses.
I’ll not shave today.
I may not shave even tomorrow,
And the day after that
I’ll lose my shoes today and walk barefoot.
I may even ask Mother Nature to give back my umbilical cord.
I’ll read some poetry today.

At seven o’ clock each morning,
With a deep and captivating voice
The news reader would buzz out “Radio Bangladesh,
This is Kowshik Ahmed”.
My day would begin
And I would get the blues.
On one side there was the gold trader’s house.
They were happy and beautiful.
Life for them was wrapped in gold.
On the other, there were the slums.
The half-naked kids would stick out their bums
And do the morning rituals.
In the middle was the rail tracks.
My elder sister would drag me all the way to school.

A man had squatted in front of a clinic
With his leg freshly amputated
And his clothes soiled.
The next day he was still there
With his clothes more soiled.
The day after that he was still there
With his clothes all gone.
And he looked fresher
And he looked happier.

With the starting gun the mad race had long begun.
And I still get the blues.
I’ll stretch back today with my eyes wide open,
Yet see nothing.
I’ll read some poetry today.