Paper Flower Poem by Samarendranath Mahapatra

In order to meet my hunger;
see how have I
Reached near your hunger.

This flesh is seen by you;
this darkness is so dark,
layer after layer, through
so many births.

You can feel the body's
Warmth, yet cannot know
The pains through
so many centuries.
Pain has congealed, like cold blood.

You see this paper flower,
Yet you do not see, nor
know why the green palm leaves.
have gone pale.

You draw out the honey,
yet do not see how, until now,
The settled grief of my heart.
and the pains of these grief.
You see only the bodied grieves.
You do not see
the nightly darkness
inside this painful body.