Shadow Poem by Susanta Pattnayak

Shadow

Rating: 4.5


Head bulging the radicular neck
ribs anchored into the body
sucking the nutrients
hollowed the belly.
On two sticky legs of a stork
the shadow
jolted, bolted, framed
not to form a shadow.

The shadowy feature,
a masterpiece and an exclusive wonder
fixed and hanged on the wall
exhibiting, that the shadow
does not have a shadow.

But shadows do have shadows.

In the form of that boy
picking up plastics and polythene
from the municipal garbage
In the form of that naked man
slept peacefully(?) , wrapped in a gunny bag
at the platform, in the graveyard
In the form of that ripped girl
at the brothel, in the slums
miserable, powerless, poor shadows.

In the form of
Hepatitis, meningitis, malaria or schestosomiasis
In Ethiopia, Niger or Somalia,
In Zimbabwe, Congo or Liberia,
In Pakistan, Bangladesh or India
Miserable, powerless, poor shadows.

A shadow does have many shadows...

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Susanta Pattnayak

Susanta Pattnayak

Bhubaneswar, India
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