Sympathy by Amrita Bhattacharyya

Her straight hair was grimy with salt.

A gleaming oyster was she,

Flipping the cover open,

She shares some opium with her mirror.

Sometimes,

The odour of earth

She shielded

From the glare of sun –

Thus, she flaunted her dupatta,

The waist-high fence

And the pouting lips

Signalled each other – quite often!

For a woman

To dip her slumber

In an inkpot –

And to save the phoenix

is apprehended.

It is needed to hoard the echo

Back and forth –

Between distance and proximity!

4 thoughts on “Sympathy by Amrita Bhattacharyya”

  1. “She shares some opium with the mirror”… Wow! What’s a stunning one! What a dual significance it carries! The intution bursts open with an intrinsic ideology! The poet becomes a preacher from a speaker and the reader also touches that string which breeds the melody. The melody of ism sparkles with a sincere tune of heart.
    The stanza “For a woman…is apprehended.” – what a boldness conveyed with inevitable reality. Still today the world hasn’t changed her outlook – it’s unfortunate and also it’s the propelling force to be manifested.
    “Between distance and proximity.” – where the ornamentation of reverseness glows the highest level. In this regard the title becomes so significant, so wealthy, so coveying…
    It’s a reader’s pleasure to go through such a unique one.
    Thanks to the poet. Stay blessed.

  2. I know her as aBengali language poet , her work tilting towards post modernism. Now that I’ve read her English poem , I’m so happy about it.

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