Four Poems by Kiriti Sengupta

VIABILITY 

The laughter line 
adds to my age.

I make room 
for the concealer 
in my grooming kit.

PHOTOGRAPHY
(for Raghu Rai*)  

1
camerawork— 
anticipating 
the perfect moments 

2
camerawork—
recounting 
the stories 

3
camerawork—
the eyelashes 
freeze in place  

*Raghu Rai is a well-known photographer. 

HER SACRED MIST 

The daughter soaked joy
for the past few days
amidst her parents and children.
When I woke up early, 
the trees, the leaves, 
and the grasses were damp. 
The rising sun parched them 
before late.
I probed the air: 
Did the Mother weep as 
she left for Kailash? 

The wife returned to her spouse. 


Note: Hindu mythology holds that Goddess Durga brings her children when she visits her paternal home annually in autumn. After a designated period, she returns to her husband, Shiva, at Mount Kailash. 


DURVA 
(for Durba Chatterjee | DOB: 25 September 2023 )


1
As I learn more about you, 
I'll pick up a batch or two 
wherever I reach. 

2
The courtyard knew my boyhood days. 
You embraced my unshod limbs
and healed my bruises as I slipped. 

You made up the loving drape 
the earth donned for my convenience. 

3
You taught us harmony. Resting in your mesh 
were the rice grains. Strengthened by prayers, 
you sat on my scalp for the nuptials. The bride 
held you in her hair. 

4
You embody divine grace. 
You are more pristine than water 
that turns holy as it lets you sink. 

5
You add to the sanctity of the soil. 
Blessed are the humans raising you 
in their yards. 

Like Draupadi, the planet mourns 
when the veil is withdrawn. 


Notes: 

Durva or Durba is a common Bengali name for girls. It denotes Bermuda or Conch grass, known for its many therapeutic properties and frequent use in Hindu rituals. Numerous Puranic stories are linked to Durva grass. 

In the Mahabharata, the Kauravas stripped Draupadi, subjecting her to great humiliation and distress.