Two poems by Shafinur Shafin

Ichthyander

1.
I saw you first 
in a Turkish village
Under a big tree, 
you, the old white beard Meddah
with no eyes 
telling the stories 
with no end
I was drunk listening
to the voice of storm
of  the unending stories
one after one...

I fell in love
at first hearing 

I controlled my tears though

You know
Shahjadis can't cry!

I ordered my soldiers
to behead you
and tore out the vocal cord 
might I  have kept 
only-
for myself
you  cursed me before your last breath-
me devoid of love.
never
ever!

2.
Last year, 
I saw you
dived into the water
as if you are not 
made of skin
but
made of slime
and your fin
(is it a Siamese feet?)  
created a water storm
like a tsunami
A wild perfume
from your coral body
I got me insane

remembered the curse
I controlled my tears carefully
I tore out the blue of the sea

I fell in love again 
with the fish man
lost under the sea
as if a butterfly
swims in the sky





Chase

She adores 
the pawns over
the chessboard

She is the white king
She is the black king
She-
the queens 
along with
the bishops,
knights
rooks 
moving
forward, backward,
sideways, 
or diagonally -
She defeats the kings
as well as the queens
...
While moving the pieces
blindly
in the black and white square,
Don't ever think  Shafin,
you are the only player
in the world...

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 Bio: Shafinur Shafin, poet from Bangladesh and also an editor of the webzine Prachya Review. Poetry is her passion.

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