The Fisher-Boy-I Poem by Debendra Majhi

The water sieves down
Drop by drop,
The dead fishes dance
Step by step.

Basket half filled with fishes
On his head,
The fisher-boy walking
On the native road,

Today he carries
Dhusa*, the tiny prawns,
Tastes best if cooked pearly,
With tamarind pulp and green onion.

But cannot shout out,
To sell the stuff,
His classmates all around,
And their parents bargain a lot.

He prays to be noticed by none,
My gosh, here the girl comes,
He puts the basket down,
Pretends not having discerned.

That exactly happens which
He apprehended to happen.
Drawn towards him,
Gossips classroom stories.

Out of sympathy,
she compels loving father.
To buy the entire chingries*,
Money, not to bother.

But father pleads frantically,
That they already have it,
He had caught in his fishnet.
Before that day's sun set.

But to mollify daughter,
He starts bargaining,
Daughter stares on his face,
The boy sweating in ignominy.

Boy searches for a chance,
To leave and abandon all.
Ready to give everything free,
To friend's greedy father.

Daughter wants father
To give all what he owed,
In the lieu ofchingries*.
Understands friend's woes.

Father finally decides
To buy one pau #
Offers half kilo colocasia,
In Chingries' lieu.

***


*local name of small prawns
# pau: quarter Kg.(four pau make one Kg) .