MY GRANDFATHER'S DREAM OF DYING
my grandfather dreams of dying
in a desolate room,
seeing a distant dot on ceiling
eyes open, listening to Mohd Rafi
from an old radio.
before dying, he says, he will
switchoff the radio and light.
and then, he says,
he will incise the ancient silence
of his room in whose womb, he says,
there is a ray of light wriggling,
an unborn worm. as he slowly gives a cut
with the dexterity of a surgeon -
the slit of incision
opens like the sky of the evening
on last day on earth.
a thin song comes from that breach
he says, unfurling its melody,
unwrapping its lyrics,
shuddering like a waking bird,
a song that hunts his memories
like a desperate hand-net
running behind a troop of butterflies,
a sick cloud, a fog of perfume
the ghost of a bird - he says -
the song will abduct his life.
Ro Hith: He is a poet and a medico from Andhra Pradesh, writing poetry since 7 years. His poetry has been published in various online magazines, including Muse India, The Four Quarterly, Istanbul Review, Kritya, New Mirage Journal and print magazines like Kavya English, which was applauded and complimented by various senior poets. Currently, he is working on his first book of poems, which will be published shortly and an online magazine that deals with progressive poetry and translations from various Indian languages.