Rashida Islam
Stranger
No moon, no stars in the deep dense dark,
what mysterious reflection wakes in me?
I am a stranger, waiting for my eyes to open,
absorbed and anxious, I have counted lonely hours
alone in my mother’s womb – my own waiting room –
waiting for a zodiac sign to tell me my life’s moves.As the sunflower lifts its head for the sun to shine,
so my heart longs to see my mother’s face.
Flooded by the earth’s radiant light
I will see my mother – a vision of beauty!
A growing cord of joy draws me into this world.
Within myself, I light the lamp of arrival.
Translated by Debjani ChatterjeeRashida Islam
Page(s) 50
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